Cessation Treatment Becoming an Expansion of Medicaid?
Has trying to quit smoking put you in a rough spot? Have you continued to try to quit the bad habit, but it seems you’re not getting anywhere? It seems that New Jersey has recognized this problem for many of its smokers and wants to help. A bill was announced that will advance and expand Medicaid coverage for cessation treatment. With 14% of Medicaid recipients in New Jersey smoking, the state believes it can prevent death rates of smoking-related illnesses. How does New Jersey plan to expand its cessation treatment to stop its population’s smoking habits? Today, we will cover all this and more with a coverage of New Jersey’s plan of attack.
Why New Jersey Wants the Change
Cessation treatment is the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking and can be pretty tough when nicotine is involved. What’s stopping most smokers from quitting is the addicting effect of nicotine, which often causes the process to drag out and become very long. With smoking being the leading cause of death worldwide, it’s important to be able to quit as soon as you start so it does not become addictive. Assembly Health Committee chairman Herb Conaway states “If we get people to stop, these admissions for emphysema and heart disease, heart attacks, and the like will be lessened and that certainly will save costs.”
Common Smoking Tips
With New Jersey already trying to ban smoking on beaches, we can tell that they are serious about stopping their population from smoking. The most common smoking tips are having a support group in order to have that help when you’re trying to stop. A rise in nicotine replacement therapy has also become a craze from nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches – all of which help increase your chances of quitting smoking. There are also prescriptions that can be given by your doctor that helps curve your urge to smoke. It is also important to avoid other triggers that might lead to you smoking like drinking. Find something else to do when you get the urge like brushing your teeth, taking a walk, texting a friend, or even video games.
Treatment Success Rate
Cessation treatments are successful, as evident by the following rates:
- Self-Help – Quit Rate 9-12%
- Counseling – Quit Rate13-17%
- Bupropion SR (Zyban) – Quit Rate 24%
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy – Quit Rate 19-26%
- Varenicline (Chantix) – Quit Rate 33%
- Medication Combinations – Quit Rate 26-36%
- Counseling and Medication Combinations – Quit Rate 26-32%
With almost 70% of Americans trying to quit, the expansion of Medicaid can be a solution for millions of Americans. If you struggle with quitting, talk to your doctor about solutions and cessation treatments that could help you.