Opioids

Making Narcan available OTC has the potential to expand access, but several obstacles may limit its reach. Decisions by pharmacies on whether to stock OTC Narcan, the product’s placement within stores, and lingering stigmas can impact accessibility. Furthermore, public knowledge plays a role; many people may not realize that OTC Narcan is available without a prescription from a doctor and that insurance may help cover the costs.

This brief examines opioid use disorder diagnoses and medication treatment for opioid use disorders in the prenatal and postpartum period among people with a Medicaid-covered delivery in 2017-2018.

In the midst of an opioid epidemic in the United States, two-thirds of adults say either they or a family member have been impacted by drug or alcohol addiction. Three in ten say they or their family were addicted to prescription or illegal opioids. This survey explores treatments received by those who battled addiction, impacts of addiction, and support for policies aimed at reducing drug overdoses.

A new KFF poll assessing the broad reach of the nation’s opioids crisis on families across the United States reveals that three-in-ten adults (29%) say they or someone in their family have ever been addicted to opioids, including prescription painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin. Rural residents (42%) and White…

Federal policies governing substance use disorder treatment have undergone rapid changes during the pandemic; however, the extent to which these changes can address the surge in opioid overdose deaths is unclear. Some of these policy adjustments are permanent, while others could revert to pre-pandemic regulations. In this brief, we examine the following 5 key federal policies and implications for access and treatment for OUD.

As the U.S. tries to address rising rates of mental health issues, the impact of the new 988 national crisis hotline and other innovations will be limited if states don’t have the underlying crisis services available when people are directed to them. The core crisis services include crisis hotlines that…

KFF surveyed state Medicaid officials about behavioral health policies related to administration, delivery systems, integrated care, and data analytics.

To better understand the variation in access to behavioral health services for adults in Medicaid, KFF surveyed state Medicaid officials about behavioral health benefits covered for adult enrollees in their fee-for-service programs.

State Medicaid programs saw a doubling of prescriptions for medications used to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) or rapidly reverse opioid overdoses from 2016 to 2019, finds a new KFF analysis. KFF analysts studied the latest available Medicaid claims data — detailed and comprehensive administrative data that can help answer…