According to recent estimates, smoking prevalence among adult Medi-Cal members is more than 36 percent higher than in the general population in California. There are currently about 3.7 million smokers in California - and approximately 700,000 are Medi-Cal members. From our perspective at First 5 Alameda County, this is especially tragic as studies show that children exposed to secondhand smoke have more breathing problems, earaches and colds, and secondhand smoke can trigger asthma episodes as well as increase the severity of attacks.  

The Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking Project is working with the California Smokers' Helpline on a tobacco cessation project that links Medi-Cal members who want to quit smoking to the Helpline for telephonic tobacco cessation counseling and incentives for behavior change. Through December 2015, the Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking Project is offering these incentives to eligible Medi-Cal members age 18 and older who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco:

• A free 4-week supply of nicotine patches
• A$20 gift card bonus for members who call the California Smokers' Helpline at 1-800-NO BUTTS and enroll in Helpline counseling.

To be eligible for the $20 gift card bonus when calling the Helpline, members must ask for the gift card, have a valid Medi-Cal Beneficiary Identification Card number, and complete the first counseling session.  The nicotine patches and the gift card will mailed directly to eligible members' home. To review a Frequently Asked Questions document, click here.  If you have additional questions about this program, please contact Cynthia.Vela@cdph.ca.gov.