Medicaid

One-quarter to one-half of all pregnant women receive their health insurance coverage through Medicaid. It is estimated that 38.5 percent of women who receive services funded by Medicaid smoke during pregnancy. By extending services to pregnant smokers, states can significantly reduce smoking during pregnancy. State Medicaid programs have been encouraged to provide smoking cessation counseling and other treatment services to pregnant smokers and to urge health care providers to screen all pregnant women for tobacco use. In addition, states should ensure that Medicaid managed care contracts with health plans include tobacco treatment coverage.

The National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit, in partnership with the Center for Tobacco Cessation, has developed a Medicaid and smoking cessation tool kit. The materials included address issues of critical importance to Medicaid programs, including the health and economic costs and benefits of coverage, snapshots of what States are doing in this area, and ways to locate additional information on topics of interest. In addition, a media toolkit is now available for your use. You may download the pregnancy-specific materials below in pdf format.

Download full package of pregnancy-specific materials (1.9 mb file), or individual sections:

• Cover letter included with package - includes brief topic overview
• Medicaid Coverage Options for Cessation Services for Pregnant Women Who Smoke
• Helping Pregnant Smokers: Adapting the “5 A’s” for Pregnant Women
• Action in States to Cover Tobacco Dependence Treatment for Pregnant Women Who Smoke
• Using MCH SAMMEC: Estimating State Savings From Smoking Cessation Counseling for Pregnant Women
• Partnering to Help Ensure Smoking Cessation Coverage for Pregnant Women
• Medicaid at a Glance
• Letter from CMS (then known as the Health Care Financing Administration) to all State Medicaid Directors regarding coverage of smoking cessation under Medicaid and EPSDT
• Letter from The National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit to CMS seeking clarification of several issues related to pregnant women who smoke
• Response letter from CMS to the National Partnership inquiry clarifying options available to States
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet: Investing Wisely in Health: Preventing Smoking During Pregnancy
• March of Dimes selected literature review: Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001)
• National Partnership brochure: Here's How to You Can Help Your Pregnant Patients Quit Smoking
• About The National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit/Medicaid information Package Acknowledgements

The National Partnership has developed the following media materials to help you promote Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation during pregnancy to your state and local media. The materials are designed so that they can be tailored to your state. Dowload in Microsoft Word format:

• Sample "Swiss cheese" press release
• Letter to the editor, version 1
• Letter to the editor, version 2
• Guest editorial
• Talking points
• Questions and Answers

NEW - Medicaid Changes 2006 - Changes in Medicaid: Implications for Tobacco Cessation Services , Medicaid Glossary and Medicaid Coverage Table now available for download

The National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit is featuring case studies on partnerships between the state Medicaid agency, state tobacco control programs, state maternal and child health programs and others to promote prevention and cessation of tobacco among pregnant women. The first case study is on the partnership between the Medicaid Agency in Utah and the Utah Department of Health, and the outstanding media campaign that has resulted. View in pdf format.

The Second Case Study is an edited audio interview (approx 18 minutes long) describing how the Pennsylvania Tobacco and Prevention Control Program, local Coalitions, the Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid), and others at the department of Health and the Department of Public Welfare worked to expand Medicaid coverage in Pennsylvania. Listen now.