smoking cessation
Coverage of smoking cessation in the Nexus archive.
- Quitting smoking is hard. A Medicare change may push doctors to give more help
Medicare is proposing a 19% increase in reimbursement for physicians who provide smoking cessation counseling and address alcohol and substance misuse during patient visits. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposal, which includes a comment deadline of Sept. 14. The American Lung Association praised the change as overdue.
- Quitting smoking could offer a major benefit beyond heart and lung health, study finds
A 25-year study of 32,000 adults found that quitting smoking reduces dementia risk, with former smokers showing similar risk levels to never-smokers after seven years. Researchers noted that longer periods of being smoke-free correlated with lower dementia risk, and benefits were strongest for those who avoided weight gain post-quitting.
- UK to permanently ban future generations from buying cigarettes
The UK government has announced a permanent ban preventing future generations from purchasing cigarettes, aiming to reduce smoking rates and related health issues. The policy targets age restrictions and legal barriers to tobacco access for younger demographics.