By Dr. Jeffrey Rosch
From the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE:
…The Department of Public Welfare’s refusal to correct a glaring disparity in the level of smoking-cessation coverage offered to Pennsylvania’s Medicaid recipients isn’t helping. The department has directed managed-care plans covering Medicaid recipients to provide access to all Food and Drug Administration-approved smoking-cessation treatments, but some still restrict access.
The DPW is not enforcing its own directive. In fact, during the September meeting of its consumer subcommittee, the department acknowledged that its Medicaid managed-care recipients do not have access to the same FDA-approved smoking-cessation treatments as do fee-for-service Medicaid recipients, yet it refuses to correct the problem. I find this troubling
My patients and I are up against the clock because smoking is not a “habit” — it’s a biochemical addiction, one that’s usually overcome only after numerous attempts to quit…
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