Did Medicaid Expansion Cause The Opioid Epidemic? There ’s Little Evidence That It Did.

Conclusion Some Medicaid recipients who gained coverage under the ACA may have become addicted to opioids, but we find little evidence that Medicaid expansion caused aggregate drug-related death rates to increase. Future research on the opioid epidemic should develop approaches that untangle the effects of Medicaid expansion from pre-existing economic trends and the spread of accessible illegal drugs. That said, by addressing the causes of addiction and promoting appropriate treatment, Medicaid could be an important tool for policy makers in the fight against opioid abuse. In January 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outlined broad scale flexibilities already available in the Medicaid program to expand access to medication assisted treatment, community-based therapy, and other services to address the treatment of opioid addiction. States have begun taking up these flexibilities as part of intra-state agency efforts that include the Medicaid program and the Medicaid expansion population. For many opioid users and their families, Medicaid provides the only affordable treatment option and path to recovery. State policy makers must weigh the benefits and costs of expanding addiction treatment through extending Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults and expanding community supports and addiction medication availability. Given the toll of opioid addiction on state budgets for law enforcement, emergency services, and child welfare, expanding Medicaid elig...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Medicaid and CHIP Public Health Quality Medicaid expansion opioid epidemic Source Type: blogs