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  • Most Americans Say Federal and State Governments Are Not Doing Enough to Combat Prescription Painkiller and Heroin Abuse; Large Majorities Believe Wide Range of Strategies Would be Effective

    News Release

     As the White House and Congress continue to debate new funding and other actions to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that most Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to combat the recent increases in the number of people who are addicted to prescription painkillers (66%) or heroin (62%). State governments fare no better in the public’s view, with similarly large shares saying they aren’t doing…

  • Analysis Finds Specialty Drugs Rank High Among Medicaid’s Most Costly Outpatient Drugs

    News Release

    Costly specialty drugs, such as those used to treat Hepatitis C and HIV, are among the most costly medications in state Medicaid programs, chiefly because of their high prices for a course of treatment, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Medicaid’s most costly outpatient drugs. Abilify, an antiphsychotic used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was the most costly drug in state Medicaid programs overall in the new analysis, which…

  • Analysis: Cost of Treating Opioid Addiction Rose Rapidly for Large Employers as the Number of Prescriptions Has Declined

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that while the use of prescription opioids among people with employer-based health coverage has declined to its lowest levels in over a decade, the cost of treating addiction and overdoses has increased sharply. The annual cost of treating opioid addiction and overdose – stemming from both prescription and illicit use -- has increased by more than eight-fold since 2004, from $0.3 billion dollars to $2.6 billion in 2016.…

  • The Opioid Epidemic and Medicaid’s Role in Facilitating Access to Treatment

    Issue Brief

    This brief describes nonelderly adults with opioid use disorder, including their demographic characteristics and insurance status, and compares utilization of treatment services among those with Medicaid to those with other types of coverage. It also describes Medicaid financing for opioid treatment and the ways in which Medicaid promotes access to treatment for enrollees with OUD.

  • Governors’ Proposed Budgets for FY 2019: Focus on Medicaid and Other Health Priorities

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief provides Medicaid highlights from governors’ proposed budgets for state fiscal year (FY) 2019 (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 in most states). Proposed budgets reflect the priorities of the governor and are often blueprints for the legislature to consider. In total, we reviewed 39 proposed state budgets and text from 46 state of the state speeches. This review revealed that while state revenue collections improved in 2017 compared to 2016, considerable…

  • The Pennsylvania Health Care Landscape

    Fact Sheet

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into full effect on January 1, 2014, ushering in health insurance reforms and new health coverage options in Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the country. Pennsylvania is experiencing changes to its health care delivery system as the state expands Medicaid, provides new coverage options through the federal health insurance marketplace, streamlines application and enrollment processes for coverage programs, and implements new health care delivery system and payment reforms. This fact…

  • Federal Legislation Related to Medicaid and Opioids: What to Watch

    News Release

    With President Trump having declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, both the House and Senate are advancing legislation to address the crisis. A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation summarizes current federal legislative proposals related to Medicaid’s role in the opioid epidemic and identifies issues to watch as final legislation takes shape. The House has passed several bills culminating in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment…

  • The Role of Community Health Centers in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents the results of the 2018 health center survey questions focused on activities releated to addressing the opioid epidemic. It includes information on opioid use disorder among health center patients, on-site provision of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and naloxone, provider training on providing MAT, treatment capacity issues, and safe prescribing practices. It also compares activities in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states and discusses the critical role Medicaid plays in health centers’ ability to address…