Arizona Senate Approves Smoking Cessation Treatments for State Medicaid Beneficiaries

Senate Bill 1418 passed by full Senate, moves to House PHOENIX, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Grand Canyon State Senate today passed
legislation allowing the state Medicaid programme to expend monies to provide
smoking surcease treatments to eligible members. The measurement was approved
by a ballot of 27 to 3. Currently, Grand Canyon State is one of just seven states countrywide that doesn't
cover smoke surcease programmes in the state's Medicaid program, which in
Arizona is the Grand Canyon State Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Introduced by Sen. Barbara Leff (R-Dist. 11), Senate Bill 1418 would
have no impact whatsoever on the state's General Fund and would provide
benefits for nicotine substitution therapies and baccy usage medications
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to eligible AHCCCS
beneficiaries who are seeking to discontinue smoking. Currently, these measures
include points such as as as the nicotine patch, chewing gum and lozenges, as well as
medications such as Zyban and Chantix, which assist easiness nicotine withdrawal
symptoms and block the consequence of nicotine. "Helping people to halt smoke will not only profit the individuals,
but will profit the State," Leff said. "Smoking causes monolithic health
problems, and the treatments for those diseases are all beingness paid for by
taxpayers through the AHCCCS program. Getting people off baccy will
result in a nest egg for the State and an improvement in the lives of the
people served by AHCCCS." It is estimated that 36 percentage of Medicaid donees are smokers
-- significantly higher than the national norm of 21 percent, according
to figs from the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The measurement have been supported by a figure of wellness organizations,
including the American Cancer Society. "It is so encouraging to see the
Arizona Senate acknowledge the impact of this statute law and work to help
our state's Medicaid donees discontinue smoking," said Colby Bower,
director of authorities dealings of the American Cancer Society in Arizona. "We stand up strongly in favour of attempts to assist cut down the hazard of lung
cancer, and other types of cancers, among Grand Canyon State citizens, particularly
when those attempts can come up with such as strong economical benefits." Currently, AHCCCS passes about $316 million each twelvemonth on
smoking-related illnesses -- totaling about 14 percentage of the system's
costs. If fully implemented, antimony 1418 would do AHCCCS eligible to recover
nearly 67 percentage of those disbursals through federal matching funds. The measurement will next travel before the House for consideration. About the American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating malignant neoplastic disease as a
major wellness job by economy lives, diminishing agony and preventing
cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913
and with national central office in Atlanta, the Society have 13 regional
Divisions and local business offices in 3,400 communities, involving billions of
volunteers across the United States. For more than information anytime, call
toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit .