Medicaid FFS More Likely To Cover Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Than Medicaid Managed Care

Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) programs are more likely to cover treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) than Medicaid managed care plans. Medicaid covers around 40% of Americans with OUD, but OUD treatment access varies across Medicaid FFS programs. All 39 Medicaid FFS programs covered buprenorphine, 32 covered methadone (82.1%), and 37 covered injectable naltrexone (94.9%). In comparison, 255 MCO plans covered buprenorphine (98.1%), 164 covered methadone (69.5%), and 188 covered injectable naltrexone (71.2%).

Almost all beneficiaries in both FFS programs and MCO plans had buprenorphine coverage. However, MCO beneficiaries were less likely than FFS . . .