Mary Alice Lee, Ph.D.

Among births in 2004, 16 percent of HUSKY A mothers smoked during pregnancy, compared with 8 percent covered by fee-for service Medicaid and 3% of other mothers. Babies born to Connecticut mothers who smoked were twice as likely to be low birthweight (15%) compared to those born to non-smokers (7%). Overall, 14 percent of babies born to Connecticut mothers who smoked were premature in 2004, compared to 9 percent of births to non-smokers. In 2005, Medicaid programs in 38 states and the District of Columbia covered at least some smoking cessation services for all Medicaid recipients. Tobacco dependence treatment, however, is not a covered benefit in Connecticut’s HUSKY A or fee-for-service Medicaid programs. (January 2007)

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