×

Cuts To Medicaid Will Make Opioid Epidemic Worse

To The Reader’s Forum:

Proposed cuts to Medicaid that will be voted on this month by our elected representatives contradict what we know about public health and curbing epidemics. In this country, and specifically this region, we are plagued by an opioid epidemic. It would only be made worse by cutting the means our residents use to obtain care for themselves and their families.

The cuts to the health care system that are on the table would significantly reduce the amount of people in NYS covered by Medicaid and also limit what people who do have health care coverage have access to. People living in rural, economically challenged areas such as Chautauqua County could be hardest hit by the changes to Medicaid. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these areas in general tend to be more affected by many health conditions, including opioid overdose. They also tend to have a high percentage of residents receiving health care through the Medicaid system.

Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of unintentional death in the US. Rates of Hepatitis C, the potentially lethal viral disease widespread among the injection drug using community, have also skyrocketed. In Chautauqua County, Hepatitis C rates are higher than most of the rest of NYS.

Despite the above mentioned indicators about overdose and disease in our region, significant strides have actually been made to increase access to care for substance users. Chautauqua County now has a variety of options for people who use substances, including several new programs, such as harm reduction services and new inpatient treatment beds for people who chronically use drugs and alcohol. Many of these programs- including medication, counseling, and inpatient treatment- require some type of insurance coverage. Across the country, all Medicaid and other insurance plans are required to provide access to some type of treatment for Substance Use Disorder and cannot limit that treatment any more than they would for other conditions. The recent advancements are far from perfect, but they are on the right path.

Now the cuts to health coverage proposed by our federal administration would eliminate the improvements we have made in areas like Chautauqua and leave a significant number of residents without coverage altogether. If these cuts pass, the community will see greater rates of Hepatitis C and fatal overdoses by denying access to treatment to many of our most vulnerable. Instead of using what we know about ending epidemics (through prevention and access to care), funding cuts to Medicaid threaten to make the current epidemics worse.

In my role as director of some substance use programming and policy work, I am constantly asked my thoughts on what causes addiction and what can be done to curb its potentially fatal affects. Many times, the ones asking these questions are elected representatives. I hope they know the answers do not include cutting access to health care. And if our elected representatives disregard the real facts and choose to leave our already struggling community members without coverage, we will not forget it.

Emma Fabian

Evergreen Health

Jamestown

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today