In 2016, nearly 64,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, a 21.4 percent increase over the previous year. Nearly two-thirds of these deaths involved opioids, obtained by prescription or illicitly, or in some cases, both. The Medicaid program has been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic with select states reporting that roughly half of all opioid-related overdose deaths being Medicaid beneficiaries.
This presentation provides an overview of the draft June chapter on access to substance use disorder treatment in Medicaid analyzing the gaps in the substance use disorder (SUD) care continuum.
The chapter examines coverage of treatment services, including the extent to which state policies align with evidence-based criteria. It also considers the adequacy of provider supply and Medicaid provider participation. Although this chapter focuses on treatment of opioid use disorder, many of the concerns and the continuum of care described in the chapter apply to other SUDs as well.