In the fourth episode of our series on the national opioid crisis, Ruth Granfors and Tracy Lawless discuss how opioid treatment is reimbursed under Medicaid and other public programs.

Recently, policymakers have considered a variety of solutions for increased funding, such as the availability of Section 1115 waivers of the institution for mental diseases (“IMD”) exclusion to provide funding for residential treatment of individuals aged 21-64 in such institutions. While inpatient and outpatient reimbursement operates somewhat differently in each state, many states have responded to the opioid crisis in some way and plan to make further changes to ensure that opioid treatment is accessible and affordable for the Medicaid population.

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