Posted on 12/25/2004 10:37:36 AM PST by SheLion
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) intends to provide new coverage allowing certain Medicare beneficiaries who smoke to receive counseling services that will help them quit the habit.
"We're building on our efforts to help America's seniors help themselves to quit smoking and live longer," Secretary Thompson said. "This new benefit, focused on treating seniors' smoking related diseases, will go a long way toward reducing their risk of dying prematurely. The combination of lives lost, unnecessarily, and the cost of treating smoking-related diseases makes our investment in smoking cessation benefits all that more important. It's never too late to benefit from quitting smoking."
An estimated 9.3 percent of those age 65 and older smoke cigarettes. About 440,000 people die annually from smoking related disease, with 300,000 of those deaths in those 65 and older.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2002 that 57 percent of smokers age 65 and over reported a desire to quit. Currently, about 10 percent of elderly smokers quit each year, with 1 percent relapsing.
"The evidence available fully supports the hope that seniors at risk of the diseases caused by smoking can quit, given the right assistance," CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. said. "As we add the 'Welcome to Medicare' exam and other preventive benefits and drug coverage, this is another step in using the medical evidence to turn Medicare into a prevention- oriented program."
The proposal to cover smoking cessation counseling comes in response to a June 2004 request from the Partnership for Prevention (PFP). The PFP requested CMS open a national coverage decision to consider coverage of tobacco cessation counseling as detailed in the HHS Public Health Service (PHS) 2000 Clinical Practice Guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence.
The guideline has been endorsed by many health care and professional organizations. Based on the evidence reflected in the guideline, CMS proposes to extend smoking cessation coverage to beneficiaries who smoke and have been diagnosed with a smoking related disease or are taking certain drugs whose metabolism is affected by tobacco use. This announcement builds on a series of HHS initiatives designed to help Americans quit smoking, including the opening of a new national quitline (1-800-QUITNOW) and designating all HHS campuses tobacco-free.
While many may think those who quit smoking at age 65 or older fail to reap the health benefits of abstinence from tobacco, the U.S. Surgeon General has reported that the benefits of cessation do extend to quitting at older ages. Smoking cessation in older adults leads to significant risk reduction and other health benefits, even in those who have smoked for years.
The coverage decision involves Medicare beneficiaries who have an illness caused or complicated by smoking, including heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, lung disease, weak bones, blood clots, and cataracts -- the diseases that account for the bulk of Medicare spending today. It also applies to beneficiaries who take any of the many medications whose effectiveness is complicated by smoking -- including insulins and medicines for high blood pressure, seizures, blood clots and depression.
"The best way to prevent the serious health problems caused by tobacco is never to start using it. Millions of our beneficiaries have smoked for many years, and are now experiencing the heart problems, lung problems, and many other often-fatal diseases that smoking can cause. It's really hard to quit, but we are going to do everything we can to help," said Dr. McClellan. "I especially want to urge smokers on Medicare who are just starting to experience heart problems or lung problems or high blood pressure to take advantage of this new help -- and more is coming."
Medicare's upcoming prescription drug benefit will cover smoking cessation treatments that are prescribed by a physician.
CMS Chief Medical Officer Sean Tunis, M.D., said, "Federal policy has acknowledged tobacco as the number one cause of preventable death for decades now, and CMS has taken the lead in implementing coverage policy for our seniors to deal directly with this critical health problem."
In 1993, smoking cost the Medicare program about $14.2 billion, or approximately 10 percent of Medicare's total budget. On average, nonsmokers survived 1.6 - 3.9 years longer than those who have never smoked.
The proposed new coverage policy is available for review at the CMS coverage Web site (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/coverage). The posting of this proposed coverage policy marks the beginning of a 30-day public comment period. After close of the comment period, CMS will have 60 days to review the comments and issue a final policy.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
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Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
That's what I was too.
As a non-smoker at the time, it wasn't considered a cause which prompted the Doctors to pursue other avenues of reason.
If I professed being a smoker at that time, who knows I may have been left for dead and joined John Ritter's path to his demise.
ThanksJust a kid, practically. :^(
God help that poor guy. His weight would have to be some type of metabolism problem. No one could eat that much.
Save your breath Jorge, addiction is based in rationalization. People who are killing themselves for their drug of choice have no use for reason. It's their choice. You tried but, then you know you can quit because you did. My question is how many smokers would like their children or grandchildren to take up the habit?
I know. Very sad indeed. I hope he doesn't get bigger.
Oh get a life! It's none of your business who smokes or who doesn't smoke. What did jorge do? Call in his friend? LOL!
Can you say LEGAL COMMODITY???? Try it. It's not hard to say, honest.
jorge called in his friend. Did you notice? hehe!
Thanks, Meek. But being a widow, I spent most of the day cleaning and working on the computer. But my dear friend brought me up a plate of food and desert. And boy! Was that food good!!!!!
I opened my presents from my daughter and family last night. I was like a little kid. I had such fun. :)
It is very possible that stoping smoking may lead to a better quality of life that may translate into fewer drugs, operations, and healthcare visits, that more than offset the longer life.
It seems to me that even if the cost analysis is uncertain, that it's the right thing to do, given that Medicare is their insurance company.
Now whether Medicare charged a sufficient premium for the coverage provided, is a different question altogether.
I know your addiction may have compromised your cognitive abilities but review my first response and you'll see I said. "It's their choice". If that's unclear to you, get a literate person to explain it to you
..... my dear friend brought me up a plate of food and desert. And boy! Was that food good!!!!!
I opened my presents from my daughter and family last night. I was like a little kid. I had such fun. :)Well, I'm glad you got your Christmas grub and had fun with the prezzies. :^D
I'm a smoker who's children don't smoke and whose grandchildren may,or may not,smoke(too young now).
I'd rather every single one of them smoke,though,than abuse alcohol. I have had experience in that area and believe me,it isn't pretty.
Smoking is downright benevolant compared to alcohol.
I have been smoking since I was 16 Danny. So why aren't "I" going to the Doctor's all the time for being sick? I go every three months to make sure I get my prescriptions and once a year for my annual physical.
So, why aren't "I" sick all the time?
Here.....literate this!
Addiction? We always called it a habit. Where have you been? You are just as narrow minded as your friend Jorge, so therefore, I will not respond to your asinine remarks any further.
Move on!
So is snorting coke!
I can think of no greater waste of time or bandwidth than to engage in a flame-war so if I say anything you disagree with, it'll save time if you just tell yourself that you're probably right and I'm probably wrong.
So, you go right ahead and call smokers "addicts" even though you say you have libertarian leanings, and then state: "If that's unclear to you, get a literal person to explain it to you."
But I notice no one has answered any of the points I made.
And,sadly, no one ever will answer them,Judith Anne.
Judith Anne, these two have tunnel vision and are set in their ways. There is nothing we can say to them to change their minds.
But like I said: I bet THEY have habits WE would find disgusting. ugh!
What would you like me to explain?
How people who never smoked could possibly have a heart attack? You're kidding right?
Of course not. We all know that.
If not, why not?
They die from something else first.
And what is the ACTUAL percentage?
The percentage of smokers who get lung cancer is MUCH higher than for non-smokers.
Let's stop playing this little game.
EVEN the cigarette manufacturers ADMIT that smoking can cause lung cancer, emphysema and other diseases.
They even put it on their packs as a WARNING.
You you realize the state of denial you are in?
Listen, I hope you never suffer any of these horrible consequences of smoking. And maybe you won't.
But tell me the truth. What could be worse than suffering and dying from something horrible like lung cancer...except maybe the knowledge that you DID IT TO YOURSELF?
That is the worst. It's better to just quit.
You will never regret that decision.
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