Friday, December 11, 2009
Ky. Focuses On Smoking
KENTUCKY....
According to a report released this week, Kentucky spends about $3.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, ranking the state 40th in the amount spent to persuade people to quit or never start smoking. Health advocates in Kentucky have been pushing the legislature to up its funding for tobacco cessation programs and to allocate about $1.5 million to fund a 2007 law that would allow the state’s Medicaid program to pay for smoking cessation aides. Earlier this year, Governor Steve Beshear announced Kentucky would join the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, and some of the money it receives through the 1998 national tobacco settlement will be used to pay for its part of the program. Senators Denise Harper Angel and Perry Clark, both Democrats from Louisville, have pre-filed legislation that would encourage the governor to fund the 2007 law allowing Medicaid to pay for smoking cessation classes. The total cost of the Medicaid stop-smoking program would be close to $5 million, but the federal government would pay about $3.5 million of the total.
According to a report released this week, Kentucky spends about $3.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, ranking the state 40th in the amount spent to persuade people to quit or never start smoking. Health advocates in Kentucky have been pushing the legislature to up its funding for tobacco cessation programs and to allocate about $1.5 million to fund a 2007 law that would allow the state’s Medicaid program to pay for smoking cessation aides. Earlier this year, Governor Steve Beshear announced Kentucky would join the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, and some of the money it receives through the 1998 national tobacco settlement will be used to pay for its part of the program. Senators Denise Harper Angel and Perry Clark, both Democrats from Louisville, have pre-filed legislation that would encourage the governor to fund the 2007 law allowing Medicaid to pay for smoking cessation classes. The total cost of the Medicaid stop-smoking program would be close to $5 million, but the federal government would pay about $3.5 million of the total.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:41 AM 
