Baucus Health-Reform Bill Seems To Be Profitable For The Sales Of Chantix And Other Quit Smoking Drugs
Date: 9th September 2009
According to a latest revelation, one of the specific significances of the recently mooted Baucus Health-Reform Bill is that the prescription-based quit smoking drugs such as Chantix, Zyban et al would not be considered as excludable by Medicaid from now on. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the Medicaid program that offers health coverage to low-income families would start to cover quit smoking drugs that are available on prescription.
Sources reveal that around three fourth of the states offering coverage for smoking cessation medications have a variety of policies and altogether it is known that in some states, coverage for prescription-based drugs is limited to a fixed period of around 90 days, an extension of Medicaid coverage for prescription-based quit smoking medicines is likely to increase the number of people using these products. Thus it seems that the expansion of Medicaid coverage in the wake of the proposed Baucus Health-Reform Bill is likely to be advantageous for Pfizer`s smoking cessation medication and Zyban, the GlaxoSmithKline's quit smoking drug.
However, staffers of the Senate make it apparent that inputs provided by anti-smoking groups and groups advocating for cancer patients have been instrumental in facilitating better Medicaid coverage of prescription-based quit smoking medications.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/ |
