Prior Authorization Requirements and Medicaid Enrollees' Use of Tobacco Cessation Medications, Colorado, 2023.

SMOKING cessation; SMOKING cessation products; HEALTH insurance; HEALTH policy; SMOKING; MEDICAID; POVERTY

Despite tobacco cessation medications being a first-line treatment for quitting smoking, a majority of Medicaid programs require health care providers to obtain prior authorization before prescribing them. We examined the impact of Colorado's Medicaid program removing its prior authorization requirement for these drugs on their use and estimated the additional number of Coloradoans who used these therapies in 2023 because of the policy change. The findings indicate that these requirements decrease low-income people's use of these medications. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(1):42–46. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307868) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)