Medicaid Coverage Policy Variations for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

How do Medicaid coverage policies for behavioral and integrative health services vary across states for treating co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder?In this economic evaluation of 5 populous US states from 2018 to 2023, universal coverage existed for core medications and basic interventional procedures, while substantial implementation variation occurred in behavioral health services and integrative therapies, with acupuncture coverage limited to 2 states.These findings suggest that variation in Medicaid policy implementation creates a foundation for understanding potential access disparities, requiring future research to evaluate patient outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Meredith C. B. Adams, MD, MS, Departments of Anesthesiology, Public Health, and Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 (meradams@wakehealth.edu).

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