Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Report on Findings in Substance Abuse (Health insurance type moderates the association between substance use disorders and cardiovascular multimorbidity among U.S. adults – Results from the 2023 …): Addiction Research – Substance Abuse

2026 MAY 14 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Addiction Research - Substance Abuse have been published. According to news reporting from Richmond, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Cardiovascular multimorbidity (CVD MM), defined as two or more cardiovascular conditions, poses a significant public health challenge. Substance use disorders (SUDs) may elevate CVD MM risk, and health insurance disparities could exacerbate this relationship.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Virginia Commonwealth University, “We examined if insurance type moderates the association between SUDs and CVD MM. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 45,133 US adults in the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). CVD MM was defined as two or more specific cardiovascular conditions. SUDs included illicit drugs and cannabis, excluding nicotine dependence and alcohol use disorder. Logistic regression models examined the SUDs-CVD MM relationship and tested for an interaction between insurance type and SUDs, adjusting for covariates. Individuals in the representative sample of US adults were 60.8% privately insured, 17.4% with Medicaid, 9.1% with Medicare, 8.7% uninsured, and 4.0% with other types of insurance. CVD MM (12.7% Uninsured to 47.7% Medicare; p< 0.0001) and SUDs (2.8% Medicare to 8.3% Medicaid; p< 0.0001) prevalence varied significantly by insurance type. In adjusted models, SUDs were not associated with CVD MM; however, Medicaid enrollees had higher odds of CVD MM than those privately insured. In interaction models, insurance type was a statistically significant moderator of the SUDs-CVD MM association (p = 0.0146). Stratified models showed uninsured adults with SUDs had higher odds of CVD MM (aOR:2.25, 95% CI:1.28,3.93) compared to uninsured counterparts without SUDs. No significant association was found among privately insured, Medicaid, or other insured individuals. Uninsured individuals with SUDs face an elevated risk of CVD MM.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Interventions improving access to care for this vulnerable population are crucial for reducing cardiovascular health disparities.”

For more information on this research see: Health insurance type moderates the association between substance use disorders and cardiovascular multimorbidity among U.S. adults - Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug use and Health. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2026;21(1). Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy can be contacted at: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England. (BioMed Central - http://www.biomedcentral.com/; Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy - www.substanceabusepolicy.com)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kevin M. Ball, Dept. of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Elizabeth C. Prom-Wormley, Jonathan L. Wells and Anika L. Hines.

Publisher contact information for the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy is: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England.

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