Asthma costs Medicaid $98 million

Analysis of existing data shows that the state's Medicaid system spent more than $98 million on preventable asthma hospitalizations between 1993 and 1999, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

According to department officials, most of those hospitalizations could have been avoided with better access to primary care physicians, preventative medicine and asthma education.

"Too many Missourians are not effectively managing their asthma," said Terry Keck, manager of Missouri's Asthma Prevention and Control Program. "This translates into expensive visits to hospitals and emergency rooms."

The prevention and control program was established in late 2001 based on a three-year planning grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Program staff recently published an asthma burden report and will release a comprehensive state asthma action plan later this year.

Tips for controlling asthma include regular doctor visits to monitor treatment, taking asthma medications as prescribed and avoiding or controlling triggers that make asthma worse, such as dust, animal dander, mold, tobacco smoke and pollen.