High rates of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder, are taking their toll on families and communities across the United States. MACPAC has previously reported on the opioid epidemic and its disproportionate effect on the Medicaid program. Chapter 6 specifically looks at the effects of SUD on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants.
Chapter 6 describes the continuum of care for pregnant and postpartum women with SUD, the extent to which state Medicaid agencies cover SUD treatment services, and the availability of specialty SUD treatment for this population. Although state Medicaid programs can use multiple authorities, including those under the state plan and waivers, to tailor benefits for pregnant women with SUD and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. However, few states are using all the authorities available to them to do so and state systems remain highly fragmented. The chapter concludes by describing the roles of the criminal justice and child welfare systems, as well as other social service agencies, in the lives of pregnant women with SUD.
From: June 2020 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP