The number of cases of death from drug overdose in 2016 most likely exceed 59,000, the largest annual jump ever recorded in the US, due in large part to the opioid crisis. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50, and early data suggests that drug overdose deaths will continue to rise in 2017. The majority of individuals with substance use disorders are currently not receiving treatment.

Medicaid, particularly the Medicaid expansion, is the largest source of health care coverage for people with substance use disorders, providing coverage to more than 650,000 non-elderly adults with addiction, and is vital in increasing coverage and access to treatment. Converting Medicaid to block grants or per capita caps would cut funding for these life-saving services, leading to an increase in preventable deaths. The National Health Law Program publication that outlines the ways in which Medicaid is essential for reducing the impact of the opioid epidemic, and how the AHCA would limit or cut these services.

If Obamacare is repealed and the Medicaid expansion is cut, hundreds of thousands of Americans struggling with addiction could lose their ability to pay for treatment and risk falling back into the cycle of drug abuse.