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Committee advances bill to require Medicaid coverage of tobacco‑cessation treatments with no prior authorization
Summary
A committee voted to give a due‑pass recommendation to a bill that would require the medical assistance program to cover tobacco‑cessation treatments, remove prior authorization and waive co‑payments; supporters cited potential long‑term savings and public‑health benefits.
A House committee approved a due‑pass recommendation for House Bill 506 (LC 570195), which would require the state medical assistance program to provide coverage and reimbursement for tobacco‑cessation treatments for Medicaid recipients, eliminate prior authorization for those products and waive copayments.
Representative Hilton presented the bill and said state Medicaid recipients have higher smoking rates and that covering cessation products could reduce downstream health costs. Laura Bracey, government relations director for the American Heart Association, told the committee Medicaid tobacco use costs the state about $699 million annually and said that if 1 percent of Medicaid smokers quit, the state would save roughly $38 million per year.
The bill directs the medical assistance program to reimburse Medicaid‑enrolled providers for tobacco‑cessation treatments; committee discussion included clarifying that reimbursement applies to Medicaid‑enrolled providers and that covered items include pharmaceutical cessation products and counseling services. Representative Reese highlighted lines in the bill that remove prior authorization and waive out‑of‑pocket costs, and committee members emphasized the policy’s potential to increase access in underserved areas.
Department of Community Health staff said the department had no concerns with the proposal, noting that the state already covers many of these products but had identified prior‑authorization gaps and that the low unit cost of the drugs made the fiscal impact modest. The department’s director of government relations said she did not anticipate a significant cost increase.
Committee members raised implementation questions, including reimbursement mechanics, who qualifies as a reimbursable provider and whether the bill should be coupled with a tobacco‑tax increase to fund the program; the author said the bills are “spiritually linked” but declined to amend HB 506 to add tax language.
The committee voted by voice vote to give the bill a due‑pass recommendation; committee members answered “aye” and no opposing voice was recorded in the transcript.
Next steps: the bill proceeds with a committee due‑pass recommendation. The transcript does not contain a formal fiscal note; Department of Community Health staff said they did not expect a substantial cost increase.
