Medicare Strives to Help You Quit Smoking
Medicare Strives to Help You Quit Smoking
Thinking about quitting smoking? Medicare can help you put those thoughts into action, if you meet certain conditions. If you quit, you can improve your overall health and feel more energized and stronger, even if you have smoked for years.
If you have Medicare and smoke or use tobacco products, talk to you doctor about whether you qualify for help quitting through Medicare’s smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling. If you qualify and your doctor prescribes the counseling, you can get coverage for counseling to help you quit smoking or using tobacco. Medicare will cover two cessation attempts per year and each attempt may include a maximum of four intermediate or intensive sessions with up to eight face-to-face visits with a counselor during a 12-month period.
This benefit and other valuable preventive services are available to help you stay healthy. Look for a “Healthier US Starts Here” event in your area to learn more about Medicare preventive services.
Or, visit www.medicare.gov on the web or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get a free copy of “Staying Healthy: Medicare’s Preventive Services.” On the web select “Find a Medicare Publication” under “Search Tools.”
This information prepared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.