There’s a few different things we can worry about happening to the realm of addiction treatment:

It’s no secret that congressional Republicans are intent upon getting rid of Obamacare, which they have begun the necessary initial steps in slashing. Without a replacement in place, up to 18 million Americans may find themselves without healthcare coverage. This includes a huge number of people battling addiction.

These odds don’t bode well for the realm of addiction treatment, while the new Trump nominee for Health Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, has proposed legislation that intends to cut funding for Medicaid, among other important protective elements in place, or the “Empowering Patients Act.”

And one of the caveats of the Affordable Care Act includes any previous stay in an inpatient treatment facility for substance use disorder. That being said, addicts may no longer receive support from Medicaid, either. While it’s tricky enough to fund treatment as-is, Medicaid does provide for a huge number of people seeking addiction treatment. Out of all Medicaid patients, a whopping 12 percent (over 18) struggle with substance use disorder disorders.

“Medicaid is the single largest payer for mental health services in the United States and is increasingly playing a larger role in the reimbursement of substance use disorder disorder services.”

This seems to say a thing or two about the perception of addicts (of course, sick people in general) and the amount of help the new government is willing to shell out. The new suggested plans not only wouldn’t support addiction treatment, but also birth control, maternity care, prescription drugs, and far more. The plans wouldn’t account for people who are already sick.

It says something else about the steps taken last year by the Surgeon General, to raise awareness about the concept of addiction as a disease, which is a crucial element of understanding the ways we need to start helping this nation’s addicts.

The opioid epidemic and the rising trend in opioids flowing into the United States has indicated that it’s both the problem of drug availability, as well as healthcare provisions that must be put forth toward restructuring what we do for addicts in this country.

But addicts won’t be getting help until more money is put toward addiction treatment, rather than downsizing.