Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Building Capacity to Increase Commercial Tobacco Cessation - Component 3 - Cigarette smoking contributes significantly to persistent health disparities among population groups that have systematically experienced social, economic, or environmental disadvantages. In 2021, approximately one in five adults enrolled in Medicaid were cigarette smokers, compared to about one in nine adults with private health insurance and about one in ten overall. Medicaid is the largest health insurance provider in the U.S., providing coverage to over 40 million beneficiaries, and a major source of coverage for racial and ethnic minority groups at higher risk of developing chronic disease. The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) seeks to promote and support improvements to public payer (i.e. Medicaid) insurance coverage for evidenced-based tobacco cessation treatments through training and technical assistance (TTA) for state Tobacco Control Programs (TCP) with funding from CDC-RFA-24-0056 Component 3, Building Capacity to Increase Commercial Tobacco Cessation. NACDD will build on more than 35 years of experience in chronic disease prevention and management and health promotion initiatives, including public payment and comprehensive tobacco cessation and control expertise, to deliver TTA to TCPs and their health payer partners. Proposed strategies and activities include: 1. Identifying and cataloging relevant insurance coverage competencies for the TCP workforce in a Cessation Coverage Competency Inventory; 2. Assessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the TCP workforce related to the identified competencies by implementing a Coverage Competencies Knowledge and Capacity; Assessment that includes Listening Sessions and Key Informant Interviews 3. Developing, promoting, and delivering an annual National TTA Action Plan that provides broad, relevant TTA to TCPs and their partners, and provides specialized TTA to up to 20 TCPs and their public payer partners through four offerings of the intensive training titled Making the Case for Expanded Access to Tobacco Cessation Treatments and Services for the Medicaid Population – Case for Coverage; 4. Developing and utilizing mechanisms to facilitate learning, and document and share information and knowledge including best and promising practices, experiences, and lessons learned through a Tobacco Cessation Coverage Engagement Hub and a Tobacco Cessation Coverage Toolkit; and 5. Developing and implementing a project evaluation and performance plan that effectively evaluates the TTA provided to TCPs and their partners, assesses progress towards achievement of outcomes, and ensures continuous quality improvement. NACDD and its proposed partners for this work have in-depth knowledge of promoting and supporting improvements to health insurance coverage for evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments. As such, NACDD is uniquely positioned to support and develop the TCP workforce to increase the application of these approaches through tailored and responsive TTA to TCPs and their partners.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).