An Act to Provide Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Cessation | H.1129/S.704
This legislation would close loopholes in the MassHealth tobacco cessation benefit and expand access to cessation counseling by allowing trained and approved dentists and behavior health practitioners to provide cessation counseling to patients on MassHealth, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The MassHealth smoking cessation benefit was
a huge success when it was introduced in Fiscal Year 2007, but certain providers, including dentists and behavioral health providers, were not included. Closing the loophole would enable certified professionals in these fields to counsel, and bill for, tobacco cessation for their MassHealth patients.
Other tobacco legislation includes
An Act Regulating Flavored Tobacco Products, which would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in Massachusetts, and
An Act Protecting Youth from Nicotine Addiction.