Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance
Medicaid & Third Party Payer
The ATCA Medicaid & Third Party Payer work group was founded in December 2007. The goal of this group is to reduce barriers to quitting tobacco by increasing the number of private and public health insurance plans that include coverage for tobacco cessation treatment.
Medicaid Coverage
After two years of anticipation, State of Alaska Medicaid issued a letter dated April 29, 2011 announcing changes in tobacco cessation coverage.
- Removes the prior authorization requirement for treatment with medication
- Maintains coverage for over-the-counter and prescription tobacco cessation aides, while changing the quantity limit for these medications to a 6 month time period
- Removes the ‘patch failure’ requirement
- Allows outpatient pharmacists to charge for counseling services (with a number of stipulations, including a physician script request for medication and counseling, pharmacist completes 1.5 hr training, pharmacist counsels between 3-10 minutes, and counseling documentation).
Private Health Plan Coverage
This work group created the Gold Standard, Tobacco Cessation Coverage document describing the best tobacco cessation insurance coverage. In the Fall 2012, national health care reform will require tobacco cessation insurance coverage by many private health insurance plans. It is unknown what the requirements will be, but likely The Gold Standard document will be useful.
Return on Investment Calculator for the economic feasibility of adding tobacco cessation coverage
Provider training for tobacco cessation
AK Quit line CME Brief Intervention Provider page (On this page, you will have to log-in as a guest in order to access the training.)
Alaska’ s Tobacco Quit Line information for health care providers
Features
The Medicaid and 3rd Party Payer team joined up with Health Care Cost Management Corporation of Alaska (HCCMCA) a state coalition whose members are self-insured organizations representing 60,000 insured employees in Alaska) for fall Health Fairs. Displays will feature Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line information.
9/24/11 Anchorage
10/1 & 2/11 Fairbanks
10/8/11 Anchorage
10/15/11 Soldotna
10/15/11 Mat-Su
10/22/11 Juneau
Contact
Andrea Thomas | email