State Medicaid Programs Pay for Alcohol Treatment Drug

State Medicaid policies can be mounds of red tape. As regulators try to form policies that would help lower the end costs to states, inadvertently many regulators have implemented policies that actually cost states more money. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Georgetown University released details in a recent press release.

Many states have tried to implement plans that limit the coverage of medications for a variety of health ailments, require generics, or require that medications be used on a very limited basis. While these actions were taken to reduce the cost of Medication prescription medications, in many states these plans actually backfire and wind up costing the state more money.

Trying to control costs, many states have restricted coverage for alcohol prevention drugs. Unfortunately, many Medicaid patients simply cannot afford to pay for this medication without help from their Medicaid coverage.

"States should be keen to quickly deal with this problem because today they are spending on average about $1 of every $7 of their revenues dealing with alcohol-related problems like child neglect and violent crime. Naltrexone is certainly not a cure-all, but it can be a powerful therapy, it's relatively inexpensive and states have the policy levers at hand to increase its availability to alcohol addicts," said Carolyn Heinrich, a professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Heinrich was the lead author of this study.

Previous research has shown that the drug naltrexone is effective at helping alcoholics stay sober and stop drinking. Naltrexone works by blocking a receptor in the brain that is associated with alcohol cravings.

While alcohol treatment programs frequently involve counseling, naltrexone has even been proven effective without any other interventions, including counseling.

State Medicaid programs that do not cover the drug naltrexone are shooting themselves in the proverbial foot. In the end, they will pay far more in costs than the costs of the medication itself. This happens when lawmakers and regulators decide that their state Medicaid program will not cover substance abuse treatment expenses.

Both the federal and state governments fund Medicaid. Each state has implemented it's own rules, regulations, and coverages that Medicaid provides to low-income families and individuals.

Naltrexone is sold under the brand names Revia and Depade. Another drug has a similar name, naloxone, but has no similarity to naltrexone.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Substance Abuse Research Program (SAPRP) provided funding for this study. It has been published in the online journal, Health Services Research.

Sources:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/bc-smd111407.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naltrexone