Barriers to Utilizing Medicaid Smoking Cessation Benefits

Introduction. Smoking is the number one preventable cause of deathin the United States. Under the Affordable Care Act, Kansas Medicaidcovers all seven FDA-approved smoking cessation therapies.However, it is estimated only 3% of Kansas Medicaid smokers usetreatment compared to the national estimate of 10%. The objectiveis to determine systemic barriers in place that prevent optimal utilizationof Medicaid smoking cessation benefits among KU MedicalCenter Internal Medicine patients. Methods. For this quality improvement project, a population of 169Kansas Medicaid smokers was identified who had been seen at the KUInternal Medicine Clinic from January 1, 2015 - February 16, 2016.Phone surveys were completed with 62 individuals about smokingstatus, interest in using smoking cessation treatment options, andawareness of Medicaid coverage of treatment. Results. Of the 62 respondents, 24 (39%) were prescribed pharmacotherapyand 41 (66%) were interested in using smoking cessationtreatment. There were eight who had quit smoking. Of the remaining54 smokers, 31 (57%) were unaware that Medicaid would coverpharmacotherapy. Of 24 participants who received a prescription forpharmacotherapy, 13 (54%) were able to fill the prescription at no costusing the Medicaid benefit. Conclusion. The majority of respondents were interested in usingsmoking cessation treatment, yet three main barriers existed to usingMedicaid smoking cessation benefits: physicians not prescribingtreatment to patients, patients not aware of Medicaid coverage, andinadequate pharmacy filling. Improved physician and patient awarenessof Medicaid coverage will facilitate more patients receivingsmoking cessation therapy and ultimately quitting smoking.KS J Med 2017;10(4):88-91