Brief Description: Providing medical coverage for smoking cessation programs.

Sponsors: Senators Pridemore, Keiser, McDermott, Hatfield, Kohl-Welles and Pflug.

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Health Care & Wellness
House Committee on Appropriations

Background: A recent study indicates the nation's Medicaid program could experience significant savings if the program included an effective smoking prevention and cessation program. Smoking remains the country's leading preventable cause of death. New data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that smoking rates are no longer on the decline, and 45.3 million adults reported smoking in 2006. The CDC estimates that 20.8 percent of the adults in the U.S. smoked in 2006, and of these adults, 80.1 percent smoked every day.

The Washington State Medical Assistance Program provides a smoking cessation benefit for pregnant women to improve birth outcomes. The smoking cessation benefit includes access to counseling, over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy, and prescription drugs.

Summary: The Department of Social and Health Services (department) must provide a smoking cessation benefit for the medical assistance program that includes smoking cessation counseling services, as well as prescription and nonprescription products. The department may initiate individualized review and develop rules for appropriate coverage limitations as required to encourage the use of effective, evidence-based services and products. The department must track per-capita expenditures for a cohort of clients that receive smoking cessation benefits, and submit a cost-benefit analysis to the Legislature by January 1, 2012.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      49   0
House      67   29   (House amended)
Senate      49   0   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 12, 2008