“According to a study published in the Journal of Health Economics, states that adopted an expansion of Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act saw an increase in the availability and utilization of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder.
The study examined Medicaid administrative data from programs that expanded between 2007 and 2016. The effect of expanded Medicaid coverage found that aggregated opioid admissions to specialty treatment facilities increased by 18 percent — mainly outpatient MAT in states — in the states that had adopted Medicaid expansion versus those that did not, according to the publication Clinical Pain Advisor.
This trend was driven by a 113 percent increase in opioid admissions by Medicaid beneficiaries.”
Read more at: https://efficientgov.com/blog/2018/08/14/mat-for-opioid-abuse-increased-under-medicaid-expansion/
Source: EfficientGov.com – August 14, 2018
See related article: No, Medicaid expansion did not worsen the opioid crisis — but it’s crucial for fixing the problem available at: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-opioids-20180820-story.html
