Medicaid is the largest payer of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in the United States, covering an estimated 40% of adults under the age of 65 with OUD, and plays additional roles in supporting recovery services by funding peer recovery coaches and health-related social needs, and prevention initiatives such as school-based health services. With a wide range of new Medicaid policies now under discussion at the national level, proposed changes have the potential to significantly impact access to OUD treatment and related services which have contributed to a nearly 25% decline in fatal overdoses in the past year.
FORE grantees are on the frontlines studying the various roles Medicaid plays in preventing, treating, and recovering from OUD, as well as reducing overdose deaths. Manatt Health has highlighted ways states can leverage existing authorities under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to sustain innovative prevention programs that support and treat children and families impacted by OUD. The RAND Corporation is assessing how Medicaid dis-enrollments (or “unwinding”) at the end of COVID-19 public health emergency affected access to buprenorphine treatment for at-risk populations, which could provide important lessons. The Legal Action Center engages with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and tracks 1115 demonstration waivers and policies related to Medicaid enrollment during and after incarceration. And lastly, the National Academy for State Health Policy has been closely engaging with state executive branch officials to learn about their funding priorities and concerns.
Please join the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts on Wednesday, March 26th at 2pm EST as they discuss the most recent data on the vital role of Medicaid in preventing overdose deaths, proposed changes to Medicaid programs, and their potential impact on the U.S. opioid and overdose crisis.