WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Healthcare reform legislation provides an unprecedented opportunity for prevention of disease, a U.S. non-profit group suggests.
Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says lawmakers in Congress should seize the opportunity to invest in proven measures that prevent costly diseases from occurring, thereby improving health and reducing healthcare costs.
"These include measures to prevent and reduce tobacco use, which remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people and costing the nation $96 billion in healthcare expenditures annually," Myers says in a statement.
"The legislation contains essential disease prevention programs that will improve health and reduce costs including a requirement that Medicaid cover preventive services with demonstrated effectiveness, including treatment to help smokers quit, and creation of a prevention trust fund to finance proven, community-based prevention programs aimed at problems such as tobacco use and obesity."
Myers says the final healthcare reform legislation should require comprehensive coverage of smoking cessation treatment, including medication and counseling with no cost-sharing requirements, for all Medicaid recipients, as the House-passed legislation would. The Senate bill would require such coverage only for pregnant women receiving Medicaid, Myers notes.
