Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and has been recognized as a significant health risk factor among the elderly population. It has been estimated that smoking accounted for approximately 9.4% of Medicare’s total budget in 1993, and will cost Medicare $800 billion between 1995 and 2015. There is evidence demonstrating significant benefits to smoking cessation in the elderly, even after 30 or more years of regular smoking. Despite the extensive evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions, Medicare does not currently cover cessation counseling or pharmacotherapy. The Healthy Aging Project’s Medicare Stop Smoking Program is a HCFA-funded initiative that will test the effectiveness of three variations in a Medicare smoking cessation benefit against usual care. The benefits will be tested using a comparison trial with restricted randomization of 43,500 Medicare beneficiaries age >=65 years in 7 states. The following benefits will be tested: provider counseling reimbursement only; provider counseling reimbursement with pharmacotherapy coverage; a quitline with pharmacotherapy coverage; and usual care. The Medicare Stop Smoking Program has received funding approval from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for initiation in the spring of 2001. The trial’s results, anticipated in 2003, will be used to identify a potential new Medicare smoking cessation benefit.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Tobacco Control,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.