Reports Summarize Alcohol and Drug Research Research from University of Georgia [Relationship between Medicaid coverage design and receipt of medication for alcohol use disorder (MAUD): Probability of receipt increases based on comprehensiveness …]: Addiction Research – Alcohol and Drug Research

2025 SEP 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on alcohol and drug research have been presented. According to news originating from the University of Georgia by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects one in ten Americans. As one of the largest payers of AUD treatment in the United States, Medicaid managed care plays a key role in facilitating access to AUD treatment services and medications.”

Financial supporters for this research include National Institute on Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism; National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from University of Georgia: “However, little is known about how AUD coverage in Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) affects treatment receipt. We examined the relationship between the comprehensiveness of Medicaid MCO plan coverage of AUD treatment and receipt of medications for AUD (MAUD). We used Medicaid claims data from Kentucky (2016-2019); our final analytic sample consisted of 202,230 newly enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries. Kentucky quasi-randomly assigns Medicaid beneficiaries to one of five MCO plans with different AUD treatment coverage. We leveraged the random assignment to MCO plans using a Two-Stage Least Squares/Instrumental Variable (TSLS/IV) approach to estimate the effects of MCO plan comprehensiveness on receipt of MAUD. Diagnosis with AUD and receipt of MAUD was relatively uncommon- only 0.5 % of Medicaid beneficiaries were diagnosed with AUD and received MAUD across all plans. Results showed that for each additional AUD treatment modality covered, the probability of receiving MAUD increased by 6.7 % relative to the mean [mean: 0.5 %; difference per additional service/MAUD (in percentage points): 0.033; p < 0.05].”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Expanding coverage in the least comprehensive MCO plan to match the most comprehensive plan would increase the probability of receiving MAUD by 47 %. Overall, study findings indicate that when insurance plans cover a broader array of AUD treatment services and medications, patients are more likely to receive MAUD.”

For more information on this research see: Relationship between Medicaid coverage design and receipt of medication for alcohol use disorder (MAUD): Probability of receipt increases based on comprehensiveness of plan. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2025,16():100374. The publisher for Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports is Elsevier.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2025.100374.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Miguel Antonio Garcia Estrada, Department of Public Administration and Policy, University of Georgia, United States. Additional authors for this research include Shelby R. Steuart, Christina M. Andrews, Colleen M. Grogan, Olivia M. Hinds, Emily C. Lawler, Felipe Lozano-Rojas, Melissa A. Westlake, Lauren Peterson, Coady Wing, Amanda J. Abraham.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)