On July 10, ASAM, along with 50 other organizations, sent a letter to Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) in strong support of H.R. 7286, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act. This legislation would ensure that all Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees have access to the full array of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments. Specifically, the bill would extend comprehensive tobacco cessation coverage to all Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries, eliminate cost sharing and prior authorization requirements, and would provide enhanced federal funding to cover the full cost of state outreach campaigns to educate providers and Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries about the benefit.

The letter notes that smoking-related diseases account for approximately $39 billion in annual Medicaid costs, and furthermore that many of the underlying health conditions that place individuals at greater risk for severe complications from COVID-19 are often caused by tobacco use. Therefore, it is critical that Congress take action not only to save lives from smoking-related diseases, but also to bolster Medicaid programs facing significant budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read the letter here.

Read the bill here.