Colorado Medicaid Offers $10 Incentive For Members To Quit Tobacco

DENVER, Colo. (CBS4) - If quitting smoking is your New Year's resolution, Colorado Medicaid wants to help. Starting Jan. 1, medicaid members will get $10 when they enroll in the Colorado QuitLine and ask for the incentive.

"Anyone who has tried to quit tobacco knows how hard it can be," said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "The important thing is to keep trying and to access the free help available so you have the support you need to succeed."

Medicaid members who try to quit smoking will have free access to coaching, nicotine patches and gum. Officials at Colorado QuitLine report the rate of success for Colorado smokers trying to quit is seven times greater than for those who try to quit on their own.

QuitLine coaches are trained to provide confidential help for anyone age 12 or older. Medications such as nicotine patches or gum are available to anyone over the age of 18.

To enroll in Colorado QuitLine, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit coquitline.org/en-US/.