The state will pay to help Medicaid patients quit smoking, Governor Frank O Bannon announced today.
Tomorrow is the day set aside across the nation to encourage smokers to stop.
This is one of those times when an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure, O Bannon said. We ve carefully reviewed scientific studies and we ve projected what smoking-related illnesses will cost Medicaid. And it s clear that Indiana can save dollars as well as lives by helping people to quit smoking, he explained. The state s Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning will advertise in the next few weeks to change its existing rules, which do not currently cover smoking cessation. Each patient may be covered for a maximum of 12 weeks in one year.