Health care reform

[DerekPGH]

i can't understand the language in the bill talking about smoking cessation, can anyone look at the bill, search for tobacco, and tell me what that means? I think its bad

 

[LostInDaJungle]

You can't google??

SEC. 1712. tobacco CESSATION.
13 (a) DROPPING tobacco CESSATION EXCLUSION
14 FROM COVERED OUTPATIENT DRUGS.—Section
15 1927(d)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r–
16 8(d)(2)) is amended—
17 (1) by striking subparagraph (E);
18 (2) in subparagraph (G), by inserting before the
19 period at the end the following: ‘‘, except agents ap20
proved by the Food and Drug Administration for
21 purposes of promoting, and when used to promote,
22 tobacco cessation’’; and
23 (3) by redesignating subparagraphs (F)
24 through (K) as subparagraphs (E) through (J), re25
spectively.
VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:51 Jul 14, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00767 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\TEMP\AAHCA0~1.XML HOLCPC
July 14, 2009 (12:51 p.m.)
F:\P11\NHI\TRICOMM\AAHCA09_001.XML
f:\VHLC\071409\071409.140.xml (444390|2)
768
1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
2 this section shall apply to drugs and services furnished
3 on or after January 1, 2010.

Should I let the conspiracy people run wild with this before I explain it??

The key words are "Covered Outpatient Drugs". In other words, the only NRT therapies that insurers would be allowed to cover would be those approved by the FDA.

Where I work we had a big "Quit Now" thing, and if you sign up you can choose a 6 month supply of patches or gum.

This in no way shape or form impacts your ability as a private citizen to buy or use an e-cig.

What it modifies is the section of the Social Security Act of 1927 which states which drugs the government would pay for:

The following drugs or classes of drugs, or their medical uses, may be excluded from coverage or otherwise restricted:
...
(E) Agents when used to promote smoking cessation.

So, right now the government does not cover any smoking cessation products. They are forbidden from giving a medicare recipient patches or gum to help them quit. Now medicare can/will reimburse you for FDA approved NRT therapies.

If any e-cig manufacturer gets their .... of the stick and gets FDA approval, then the government will be required to provice e-cigs for cessation purposes.

 

[DerekPGH]

You can't google??



Should I let the conspiracy people run wild with this before I explain it??

The key words are "Covered Outpatient Drugs". In other words, the only NRT therapies that insurers would be allowed to cover would be those approved by the FDA.

Where I work we had a big "Quit Now" thing, and if you sign up you can choose a 6 month supply of patches or gum.

This in no way shape or form impacts your ability as a private citizen to buy or use an e-cig.

What it modifies is the section of the Social Security Act of 1927 which states which drugs the government would pay for:



So, right now the government does not cover any smoking cessation products. They are forbidden from giving a medicare recipient patches or gum to help them quit. Now medicare can/will reimburse you for FDA approved NRT therapies.

If any e-cig manufacturer gets their .... of the stick and gets FDA approval, then the government will be required to provice e-cigs for cessation purposes.

What do you mean can't i google? I read that part of the bill and asked for a more clear understanding of it. Now i know, thank you. It looked to me like the only smoking cessation devices were gonna be the ones approved by the FDA, but i didn't know that they are covered by the current bill, but weren't supported at all before with medicare. thanks.

 

[LostInDaJungle]

Sorry Buddy, that wasn't meant to be rude. I thought you were asking us to find a copy of the bill for you which is easily accessible from Google. When you were asking us to search, etc... Rereading it I realize I jumped the gun. No offense meant.

 

[Kilroy]

If you think that the federal government or your state or local government wants you to stop paying tobacco taxes, you are mislead. At $135,000,000 a day they want you to smoke 'till you die. Its OK to stop paying taxes then. Well, your kin will have to pay inheritance tax, if there is anything left.