Study cautiously links 19% Medicare pay hike to sudden physician interest in patient smoking

BY: @health_correspondentJUL 19, 2026

FIG. 01 In a hospital exam room, a doctor turns from his tablet toward an elderly patient holding an unlit cigarette, as a man in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services polo shirt nods approvingly in the background.

A proposed 19% increase in Medicare reimbursement rates for cessation counseling has been tentatively associated with a sharp, self-reported spike in physicians suddenly remembering to ask if you use tobacco. While the data remains preliminary, early observations suggest the financial incentive may allow doctors to safely mention that cigarettes are harmful.

Preliminary models from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services suggest the funding bump could trigger widespread clinical trials of a novel intervention where doctors temporarily look up from their tablets to discuss a patient’s habits. A recent paper in JAMA Internal Medicine noted that, historically, the medical community lacked the robust financial scaffolding required to justify the time-intensive protocol of telling someone to stop inhaling combusted carcinogens.

While analysts note that correlation does not explicitly equal causation, the proposed billing adjustments appear to lower the physiological barrier to entry for preventative care conversations.

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STAT · statnews.com

Quitting smoking is hard. A Medicare change may push doctors to give more help

Physicians who offer counseling on quitting cigarettes and alcohol during patient visits would get a 19% increase in reimbursement under a proposed Medicare change.