Maine Proposes Eliminating Medicaid Funding For Methadone Clinics

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) proposed budget for 2016-2017 includes a provision to eliminate Medicaid funding for its 11 methadone clinics. The provision is supported by the Governor. If enacted as proposed, DHHS anticipates that 80% of the nearly 4,000 Medicaid beneficiaries currently receiving methadone as maintenance therapy for opioid addiction would transition to maintenance treatment with buprenorphine in an outpatient primary care setting. MaineCare, the Maine Medicaid program covers treatment with Suboxone and Zubsolv, which contain buprenorphine and naloxone; and with generic buprenorphine or the brand name Subutex buprenorphine.

According to a DHHS . . .