States With Medicaid 1115 SUD Waivers Increased Use Of Methadone

Across eight states with Medicaid 1115 waivers focused on substance use disorder (SUD) to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), the use of methadone treatment increased more than the use of buprenorphine. The states in the analysis were Indiana, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Across the states, change in the use of methadone ranged from a decrease of 3.2 percentage points in Pennsylvania to an increase of 15.4 percentage points in Virginia. Change in buprenorphine prescribing ranged from a decrease of 2.9 percentage points in Virginia to an . . .