Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Roughly 1 million people receive medication treatment for opioid addiction through Medicaid, according to a new report from congressional Democrats that warns prospective cuts to the program would hinder anti-addiction efforts.
Why it matters: The opioid crisis is an area of bipartisan concern that has hit many red states hard, so the report highlights a sensitive area for Republicans weighing an overhaul of the program.
What's inside: The report from Joint Economic Committee Democrats finds that 60% of the million beneficiaries receiving treatment for addiction get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, which has been a particular target of Republicans.
- About 100,000 people receiving the treatment through Medicaid live in a state with a "trigger" law that would end the Medicaid expansion if the share of federal funding is cut, the report finds, warning they could lose access to treatment.
What they're saying: GOP Medicaid cuts "would jeopardize addiction care just as our country is finally starting to see progress in addressing the fentanyl crisis," Joint Economic Committee Ranking Member Maggie Hassan said.
The big picture: President Trump and congressional Republicans have argued that they are not cutting Medicaid benefits, but the details of their plans are not yet clear, and cutting federal funding to states can force the states, in turn, to pare coverage.
