Medicare To Help

Older smokers often don't get as much attention from doctors as do younger ones.  About one in 10 seniors smoke, compared with one in five people among the US population as a whole.  They are more likely than younger smokers to be seriously hooked on nicotine and less likely to attempt quitting. But research shows that their odds of success are greater if they do try to give up the habit. 
Medicare is finally catching up to most private insurers by providing counseling for anyone on the program who's trying to kick the habit.  Medicare's new smoking cessation benefit will also be available to younger people who are covered by the program because of a disability.