More than 1 million Americans use Medicaid to help pay for lifesaving opioid addiction treatment, including methadone. But some have lost coverage as states redetermine Medicaid eligibility following the expiration of pandemic protections that kept people continually enrolled.
In this report for NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Stephanie Colombini, of station WUSF in Tampa, Florida, examines how the Medicaid “unwinding” has worsened health risks for patients in treatment for opioid addiction and strained resources among safety-net providers.
Colombini and Public Health Watch reporter Kim Krisberg co-reported a related story on how Florida’s refusal to expand Medicaid can increase the barriers to treatment for low-income, uninsured adults. NPR also published a revised version of this story that focused on the impact of Medicaid unwinding on patients in treatment for opioid addiction.
The coverage is part of PHW’s project, “The Holdouts,” about the 10 states have haven’t expanded Medicaid.