Co-pays eliminated from MassHealth for smoking cessation
At a time when e-cigarettes are under fire for high rates of use by youth and a spike of respiratory illnesses suspected of being connected to vaping, MassHealth is making it easier for people to quit smoking.
MassHealth, the state's program for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, has eliminated co-payments on products that help people quit smoking, including gum, patches and lozenges.
The change went into effect on Sept. 25, with the state Department of Public Health alerting healthcare practitioners to the change on Tuesday.
The change was put in place as a result of hundreds of cases of severe lung disease associated with use of e-cigarettes — known as vaping — and marijuana vaping products in Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health said.
Eliminating the co-pay came just one day after Gov. Charlie Baker announced he was banning e-cigarettes for four months, the first such ban in the country.
With the MassHealth policy change, members now have no out-of-pocket costs for products to help them quit smoking, including prescription medications and over-the-counter products including nicotine replacement therapy such as Nicorette, as well as gum, patches, and lozenges. Some medications require a prescription, like Chantix, but also do not require a co-pay. MassHealth members under the age of 18 need a prescription from their health care provider to get nicotine replacement therapy, including over the counter products.
MassHealth first began covering some costs of smoking cessation products in 2006.
In recent months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have tallied as of Sept. 24 more than 800 lung illness cases across 46 states, including Massachusetts, with all patients having a history of vaping. The CDC has also reported 12 deaths.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has reported 10 confirmed cases in the state, with 83 total suspected cases as of Sept. 30.
The department began asking clinicials to report any cases of respiratory illness possibly linked to vaping in August, when nearly 200 such cases popped up nationally. It recommended clinicians ask patients about potential drug use, and in particular about vaping if the patient presents respiratory or pulmonary illness. Cases of significant illness and a history of vaping should be reported to health officials, the department said, and providers should ask patients to provide devices for potential testing if possible.
The CDC has recommended users refrain from vaping while an investigation of the lung illness cases is ongoing, particularly products containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive component in cannabis. The agency has cautioned those who've turned to vaping to quit cigarette smoking to not return to smoking cigarettes.
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