State funding of smoking cessation in Tenn?

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey released a statement last week proposing that his state approve funding smoking cessation drugs and counseling under their Medicaid program, TennCare. Mr. Ramsey maintains that funding for these cessation methods should remain in the state budget because such programs will “make a difference in the overall health of fellow Tennesseans — all while saving taxpayer dollars in the long-run.”

ACSH sympathizes with Lt. Governor Ramsey’s endorsement of tax-payer subsidized cessation programs in his state, but, adds ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross, “It is an unfortunate fact that the methods he espouses will not be very effective at helping smokers quit. Such methods increase successful quitting from about 5 percent to perhaps 15 percent or thereabouts. If his plan were to include access to truthful information about smokeless tobacco products as part of a government initiative, it might well make a real impact on the rate of smoking cessation.”