CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources launched its first phase of substance abuse treatment under Medicaid this week, which included accepting methadone treatment under state services and providing first responders with naloxone.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a waiver in October that allows the state to expand Medicaid services for those dealing with substance abuse disorders. The change went into effect Sunday.
The state is responsible for developing a plan to make naloxone widely available, as well as recognizing needs in the Medicaid population.
Bureau for Medical Services commissioner Cindy Beane said there are 50,000 adult Medicaid recipients in West Virginia with substance abuse disorder, adding changes will help many receive services.
“It can be a factor in getting those people into treatment,” she said.
Beane added under the waiver, services must be budget neutral within five years.
“What happens with our substance abuse disorder individuals is they tend to go to the ER more, they tend to be hospitalized for substance abuse-related disorders quite frequently,” she said. “By the end of the five-year period, they will actually be neutrality built into the waiver.”
The waiver will be in effect through December 2022.