Reduce Tobacco Use

PLAN AN INTERVENTION
EXPLORE RESOURCES

The Issue

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and mortality in the United States, resulting in more than $300 billion in health care costs and lost productivity and roughly 480,000 premature deaths annually.

The prevalence of cigarette smoking is especially high among certain groups of adults — including individuals in low-income populations, those with mental illness or substance use disorders, and Medicaid beneficiaries.

CDC’s 6|18 Initiative Success Story

Other 6|18 successes »

 

Plan an Evidence-Based Intervention

Following are tobacco cessation interventions identified by the CDC as having a proven evidence base for improving health outcomes and controlling health care costs:

  • Increase access to tobacco cessation treatments, including individual, group, and telephone counseling, and Food and Drug Administration – approved cessation medications (in accordance with the 2008 Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guidelines and the 2015 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations).
  • Remove barriers that impede access to covered cessation treatments, such as cost-sharing and prior authorization.
  • Promote increased use of covered treatment benefits by tobacco users.

Evidence Summary: Reduce Tobacco Use

Download the CDC’s evidence summary outlining key cost and health care information for payers and providers, as well as demonstrated outcomes for each of the above interventions.

Get Started with CDC’s 6|18 Initiative

View Getting Started: CDC’s 6|18 Initiative guide »
Complete reduce tobacco use planning tool »
Create reduce tobacco action plan »
Explore implementation resources »
 

Explore Implementation Resources

The following resources can help payers, state officials, and providers to implement high-opportunity tobacco reduction interventions. Does your state/program have resources to share? Send an email to 618@chcs.org.

See also CDC’s smoking and tobacco use program web page.

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Brief/Report | November 2022
CDC’s 6|18 Initiative: State Improvements related to Tobacco Cessation through Increased Collaboration between Medicaid and Public Health
Highlights 6|18’s role in strengthening partnerships to increase access to and use of evidence-based tobacco cessation services for Medicaid beneficiaries.
6|18 State Spotlight | November 2022
New York: Increasing Access and Promotion of Tobacco Cessation Treatment
Facilitating uniform tobacco cessation benefits for Medicaid enrollees and developing comprehensive provider and public awareness campaigns to promote covered benefits and services.
6|18 State Spotlight | November 2022
North Carolina: Improving Access to Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Benefits
Streamlining and increasing coverage of tobacco treatment and services, promoting use of covered treatment benefits, and addressing health disparities by improving access to tobacco treatment for people with behavioral health conditions.
Guide/Toolkit | June 2021
A Guide to Assessing Tobacco Cessation Coverage in Health Plans
Describes questions to help determine health plans' abilities to cover tobacco cessation treatment.
Case Study/Profile | June 2021
Understanding the Coverage Landscape: A Case Study in Assessing Cessation Coverage
Describes how two states, Kansas and Missouri, piloted use of the American Lung Association’s Guide to Assessing Tobacco Cessation Coverage in Health Plans and received preliminary results.
Brief/Report | June 2021
Medicaid Reimbursement for Quitline Pharmacy Products: Cost-Sharing Brief
Identifies several common approaches that state tobacco control programs may consider when pursuing pharmacotherapy reimbursements in partnership with their Medicaid agencies and quitline service providers.
6|18 State Spotlight | October 2020
Minnesota: Improving Access to Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Benefits
Highlighting Minnesota's efforts in improving access to Medicaid tobacco cessation benefits.
Brief/Report | May 2020
Reaching Providers with Cessation Messaging: New York’s Health Care Provider Media Campaign
Describes an innovative health care provider-targeted media campaign conducted by the New York State Department of Health's Tobacco Control Program
Journal Article | October 2019
A Media Campaign to Increase Health Care Provider Assistance for Patients Who Smoke Cigarettes
Examines the results from New York State Department of Health’s media campaign to increase provider-assisted quitting that was implemented in 2016.
Case Study/Profile | September 2019
Case Study Series on Changing Quitline Eligibility Criteria
Showcases each state’s eligibility criteria, rationale, key considerations for making changes to criteria, how changes were implemented, challenges, and successes.
Case Study/Profile | September 2019
Case Study Series on Medicaid Cost-Sharing Partnership Development
Highlight how three states have developed cost-sharing partnerships with Medicaid.
Engagement/Education Material | June 2019
South Carolina’s Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Policy Change Campaign
Details promotional approaches for engaging the state’s health care professionals and Medicaid members in order to increase utilization of mechanisms supporting tobacco cessation.
Engagement/Education Material | June 2019
South Carolina’s Medicaid Provider Survey
Assesses: 1) approaches and perceptions among providers that may influence uptake of tobacco cessation for their Medicaid patients, and 2) preferred tools and resources that may aid providers in supporting appropriate tobacco cessation interventions, including Medicaid coding/billing. 
Technical Assistance Tool | June 2019
South Carolina’s Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Policy Change Campaign Evaluation Plan
Outlines specific measures that assess the impact of their communications campaign, specifically around the uptake of counseling and coverage benefits as well as the use of tobacco in the state.
Webinar | April 2019
Strategies for Engaging State Medicaid to Expand Tobacco Cessation Efforts
Provides insight on state Medicaid benefits and coverage, as well as strategies to strengthen tobacco cessation and treatment efforts.
Brief/Report | December 2018
Washington State Institute for Public Policy: Access to Tobacco Quitlines ROI
Examines the monetary value of programs or policies to determine whether the benefits from the program exceed its cost. In this case, WSIPP is looking at the benefit-cost summary of tobacco quitlines. 
6|18 State Spotlight | June 2018
Colorado: Increasing the Use of Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Benefits
Expanding access to tobacco cessation medications and services and increasing communications around provider and consumer benefits.
6|18 State Spotlight | June 2018
South Carolina: Improving Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Benefits
Increasing the use of tobacco cessation benefits through comprehensive and consistent tobacco cessation coverage.
Guide/Toolkit | June 2018
How to Design a Tobacco Cessation Insurance Benefit
Provides guidance on considerations for implementing cessation coverage, removing policies that act as barriers to treatment, and communicating clearly about the benefit.
Technical Assistance Tool | June 2018
Performance Improvement Projects Related to CDC’s 6|18 Initiative: A Scan of External Quality Review Organization Reports
Includes performance improvement projects related to: controlling asthma, preventing diabetes, controlling high blood pressure, and reducing tobacco use.
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