A state auditor's report looking at opioids' impact on Ohio's Medicaid program shows the number of Medicaid recipients with an opioid-related diagnosis quadrupled from 2010 to 2016.
The report recently released by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost shows the number of Ohio Medicaid recipients with an opioid-related diagnosis involving dependence, abuse, or overdose climbed 430% between 2010 and 2016. It also shows Ohio's Medicaid system has seen an increase in medication-assisted treatment. That cost jumped from more than 13 million dollars in 2010 to 110 million dollars by 2016.
Yost, the Republican candidate for State Attorney General, says the trend line is a concern for Medicaid's financial health. He says that could make money scarce for other needs of the 3 million poor and disabled people who rely on the program statewide.
