Obamacare Repeal Could Cripple Efforts To Combat The Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON ― Repealing the Affordable Care Act would deal a major blow to efforts to fight addiction in one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, according to a new study from Harvard Medical School and New York University. Across the country, some four million Americans with addictions or mental health disorders could lose their health insurance, greatly diminishing access to life-saving treatments, the researchers found. In Kentucky, the effects of ACA repeal would be especially devastating. The end of Obamacare could cost Kentucky more than 44 percent of its funding for medication-assisted treatment using buprenorphine to help those with opioid addiction, according to the study.  Medication-assisted treatment combines addiction counseling with the use of medications such as methadone or buprenorphine (commonly sold as Suboxone). By consensus of the medical community, it is the standard of care for people with opioid use disorder. But Kentucky and other states have only recently started expanding access to such treatment with the help of federal funds. According to the study, more than 40,000 Kentucky residents who gained Medicaid coverage under the ACA have a mental illness and/or are being treated for a substance use disorder.  The researchers looked at several states struggling with the opioid crisis, including Kentucky and New York, in their latest study. They’ve previously found similar results for other states like West Vir...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news