Medicaid Expansion Drives 21% Increase in Opioid Treatment Access Across Eight States
New JAMA study shows states expanding Medicaid after 2018 saw sharp rises in buprenorphine prescriptions, but federal funding cuts could reverse gains.
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New JAMA study shows states expanding Medicaid after 2018 saw sharp rises in buprenorphine prescriptions, but federal funding cuts could reverse gains.

World Health Organization updates opioid dependence treatment recommendations, conditionally endorsing monthly injectable buprenorphine formulations as global treatment gap persists.

World Health Organization updates treatment guidelines adding monthly buprenorphine injections to methadone oral medication recommendations addressing epidemic killing three-quarters million people yearly

SB 365 would mandate ERs provide evidence-based addiction treatment, potentially saving $20,000 per patient annually while reducing overdose deaths — but faces hospital pushback over costs.

World Health Organization adds conditional recommendation for monthly and weekly buprenorphine injections, expanding evidence-based options for 61 million people using opioids non-medically worldwide.

University of Cincinnati launches one of nation's largest trials pairing weight-loss drugs with proven addiction medication to improve treatment retention and reduce cravings.

New research from Ohio University finds primary care physicians view opioid use disorder as more treatable than diabetes, yet only 8% have ever prescribed buprenorphine, creating treatment deserts in rural America.

World Health Organization adds conditional endorsement for long-acting injectable buprenorphine to global opioid dependence treatment guidelines April 2026, alongside continued strong recommendations for methadone and oral formulations.

Proposed legislation SB 365 mandates that Connecticut emergency departments offer buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder, despite hospital opposition citing costs.

Ann Arbor-based online addiction provider now treats kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine dependence through app-based platform, addressing regulatory gap as FDA restricts potent derivatives but leaf products remain unregulated nationwide.

New Nature Mental Health study finds combining low-dose ketamine with mindfulness training improves outcomes for people receiving buprenorphine treatment, opening door to psychedelic-assisted interventions

New Wisconsin Policy Forum report reveals dramatic expansion in MOUD access across state correctional facilities from 2021 to 2025, coinciding with substantial decline in overdose deaths.

SUPPORT Act allows pharmacists to prescribe addiction medication with 8 hours training. Maryland considers state legislation as federal pathway opens treatment access.

Opioid deaths fell 12% in Washington last year while innovative programs expanded access to life-saving treatment. But new Medicaid work requirements and federal funding cuts are already disrupting care.

Workit Health's evidence-based virtual care model delivers 62% rural retention at three months—more than double competing programs—with peer-reviewed studies in JAMA Network Open showing perfect buprenorphine adherence among participants.

First randomized trial testing extended-release buprenorphine in pregnancy finds higher abstinence rates and fewer serious adverse events compared to standard sublingual treatment.

Somerset County commissioners chose to protect a jail Sublocade program with zero overdose deaths over prevention services as opioid settlement funds run short.

A new survey of 212 jails and prisons finds only 58% provide FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, with stark regional disparities and treatment gaps putting released inmates at 40-times-higher overdose risk.

NIH-funded trial finds pregnant patients receiving weekly extended-release buprenorphine injections achieved significantly higher rates of opioid abstinence with fewer serious adverse events than those on sublingual buprenorphine.

New research shows patients adherent to extended-release buprenorphine injections had $15,017 lower annual costs and fewer emergency visits than those using other opioid use disorder medications.

Weill Cornell research shows state laws eliminating insurance prior authorization for buprenorphine don't significantly improve 180-day retention rates, highlighting need for broader policy interventions.

Civil rights lawsuit alleges Missouri DOC and Centurion Health deny life-saving medication to prisoners with opioid use disorder, despite $7M in settlement funds and rampant drug availability.

DEA and HHS codify pandemic-era flexibility, allowing providers to initiate and maintain buprenorphine treatment entirely via telehealth through the end of 2026, a move experts say could save lives and reshape addiction care nationwide.

New research from Harvard Medical School shows that just 10 yoga sessions can reduce the most severe phase of opioid withdrawal from nine days to five, offering a promising tool for addiction recovery.

New federal rules allow providers to prescribe six-month supply of buprenorphine via audio-only telehealth for opioid use disorder treatment, eliminating pandemic-era restrictions while implementing safeguards.