Source: Governor’s Office of Health Transformation and Health Policy Institute of Ohio
A state report released June 26 found that the number of Ohio Medicaid recipients who have an opioid addiction has quadrupled since 2010 (Source: “Medicaid spending on opioid treatment soars in Ohio, auditor reports,” Mansfield Journal, June 26, 2018).
According to the Ohio Auditor of State’s report, in 2010, the state’s cost of treating opioid addiction through medication-assisted therapies was more than $13 million in 2010, and jumped to $110 million by 2016.
The number of unique individuals on Medicaid receiving medication-assisted treatment for addiction jumped from about 6,500 in 2010 to nearly 48,000 in 2016, according to the report.
“Many with addiction fall to Medicaid for opioid addiction treatment,” said Auditor Dave Yost. “And because addiction leads to job loss, it also leads to the loss of private, commercial insurance.”
The auditor’s report not only confirms that Ohio Medicaid effectively links individuals to the recovery services they need, it also verifies that Ohio’s Medicaid providers are engaged in responsible prescribing practices.
For example, opioid prescriptions for Medicaid recipients in Ohio are shorter in duration than the national trend in the commercially insured population, there are virtually no long-duration opioid prescriptions for Medicaid recipients in Ohio, and almost all opioid prescriptions written for Ohio Medicaid recipients are low dosage.
The report also describes the increased cost associated with providing necessary recovery services during a national opioid crisis. As of July 1, these costs are managed by Ohio Medicaid’s five private sector managed care plans.
For Medicaid overall, the managed care plans have assisted the state in holding per person Medicaid spending growth below 2% in each of the past four state fiscal years. As a result, more Ohioans can receive the critical recovery services they need within a well-managed and sustainable budget.