South Dakota is among eight states that saw sharp increases in access to opioid addiction treatment after expanding Medicaid, according to a new study.
Researchers found buprenorphine prescriptions rose more than 21% between 2019 and 2023 in states, including South Dakota, that expanded Medicaid after 2018. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, linked the growth to Medicaid expansion and federal changes that made the medication easier to prescribe, including through telehealth.
Experts warn the gains could be endangered by proposed federal Medicaid cuts. Medicaid is the nation’s largest payer for opioid use disorder treatment, and loss of coverage has been linked to increased overdose risk even as U.S. opioid deaths have declined in recent years.
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