State Medicaid programs now have approval to pay for prescription mosquito repellent to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. In a memo to state and local Medicaid officials, the U.S. Centers of Medicaid and Medicare Services on Wednesday (June 1) offered other basic guidelines to help states prevent, detect and respond to the threat of Zika as summer approaches.

Medicaid does not cover over-the-counter insect repellents, but state programs may choose to pay for certain types of repellent prescribed by a health professional. Jen Steele, Medicaid director for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said her office will base its coverage criteria on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read More at: http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2016/06/medicaid_will_pay_for_mosquito.html