Medicaid disenrollment — which impacted 600,000+ in Pa. — linked to fewer prescriptions for opioid use disorder

The last half-decade has seen a rollercoaster of alterations to federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid as the nation reeled, and then rebounded, from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes include Medicaid eligibility requirements and a process called Medicaid unwinding. A study out of the Rand Corporation and conducted by a Pittsburgh researcher found that this process of disenrolling people from Medicaid was linked to fewer prescriptions for an opioid use disorder medication that helps prevent relapse and keep people in recovery.

Some warn the findings are a grim sign that fewer people are in treatment at a time when federal policies are further clinching resources for addiction.

While 71 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, that number has dropped from 87 million patients