Smoking Cessation Treatment Needed for HUSKY Members

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable mortality and disease in the United States today. Pregnant women and mothers enrolled in Medicaid in Connecticut are more likely to smoke than other pregnant women and mothers. The Connecticut General Assembly enacted legislation in 2003 calling for the treatment of tobacco dependence in Medicaid. However, despite its clear cost effectiveness, that provision remains unfunded. Connecticut is the only state in the nation that did not appropriate any tobacco settlement money to smoking prevention and cessation programs in Fiscal Year 2008. In fact, Connecticut ranks last among all states for utilizing tobacco settlement money for smoking prevention and cessation programs.