Study examines locations of substance abuse facilities that accept Medicaid

Approximately 60 percent of U.S. counties have at least one outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) facility that accepts Medicaid, although the number is much lower in southern and Midwestern states, according to a study by Janet R. Cummings, Ph.D., of Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues. The expansion of Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 sets the stage for helping address long-standing gaps in access to SUD treatment for states that opt-in to the expansion, according to the study background.