Hawai'i was given "fairly good" grades by the American Lung Association in an annual report card on how well tobacco prevention programs are being implemented.

However, the state was given an F in the category that assesses the overall effort to support smoking cessation programs, the American Lung Association said in a report to be released today. The association annually grades the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in four categories.

Hawai'i was given a B for tobacco prevention and control spending, a B for cigarette taxes and an A for smoke-free air. But when it came to the state's overall effort to support smoking cessation programs, the American Lung Association said the state failed.

The association was critical of how Medicaid and state employee health insurance plans covered quit-smoking programs. Some of the plans, the association said, failed to provide maximum coverage and some didn't cover all smoking cessation medications.

"Hawai'i's F grade is a wake-up call to policymakers and identifies where improvement is required in helping our citizens fight and conquer their smoking addiction," said Jean Evans, executive director of the American Lung Association of Hawaii.