Medicare will now pay for counseling for smokers who want to quit. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has expanded coverage of tobacco cessation counseling, removing a barrier to treatment for smokers on Medicare. Previously, Medicare covered counseling for only  smokers that had been diagnosed with a tobacco related disease or showed symptoms of one.   The program already covers the nicotine patch and gum.  The expanded coverage allows all tobacco users to get counseling from a qualified doctor or a “Medicare-recognized practitioner.”  “For too long, many tobacco users with Medicare coverage were denied access to evidence-based tobacco cessation counseling,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Most Medicare beneficiaries want to quit their tobacco use. Now, older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries can get the help they need to successfully overcome tobacco dependence.”

CMS Administrator Don Berwick says the move is one more tool in preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries. “All Medicare beneficiaries now have more help to avoid the painful—and often deadly—consequences of tobacco use.”

The coverage applies to services under Medicare parts A and B. Part A is hospital insurance that covers inpatient care. Part B is medical insurance that helps pay for doctor bills and outpatient care. It does not have any affect on Medicare Part D–the Prescription Drug Program–or the SCHIP program (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says medicare will spend approximately $800 billion on tobacco-related diseases between 1995 and 2015. Read more in CNN.