Connecticut Action Center

Increasing Tobacco Prevention and Cessation

Increasing Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
Increase the state Tobacco Tax and dedicate funds raised by the increase to the tobacco prevention recommendations in the CCP and Medicaid coverage of cessation services.
In 2007, Connecticut raised the state tobacco tax by .49 cents to $2.00. With the revenue generated by this increase along with existing tobacco tax and the Master settlement funds, Connecticut receives over $420 million dollars a year with not one cent of that being spent on tobacco prevention and cessation services in 2008.

Compounding matters, there has been a dramatic downturn in both our national and state economy. A robust state surplus has dwindled away into a significant deficit of $343 million dollars in FY ‘09, $2.6 billion in FY ‘10 and $3.3 billion on FY ‘11. This puts at risk many existing programs and services and threatens to further delay addressing the vast chasm between tobacco related revenue and tobacco prevention and cessation programs, including Medicaid coverage for cessation services.

In 2007, the state Department of Social Services submitted to the legislature a plan to provide Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation services that met certain criteria. Such coverage is now mandatory under provisions of existing law, but funding was excluded from the budget during the last fiscal cycle. Almost 30% of Medicaid recipients are smokers—a higher percentage than the population as a whole and CT spends almost $400 million in Medicaid funds on smoking related illnesses. Additionally, by not covering cessation services, the state is losing out on Federal matching funds of up to 60% on certain programs.

The American Cancer Society will work with the Legislature and the Governor to enact a $1.00 increase in the state tobacco tax from $2.00 to $3.00 and to dedicate a portion of this new revenue towards funding state Medicaid coverage of cessation services and the state quitline program.

Estimated costs:

Medicaid coverage of smoking cessation $7.1 Million
(Assumes two interventions/ year)

Quitline services to reach at least 5% of smokers $5.0 Million
(Free and Clear estimate quoted at Legislative
Presentation 2008)
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Total Cost to provide Smoking Cessation Services $12.1 Million