Opinion: Medicaid cuts would devastate mental health, substance use treatment services in red states
Though behavioral health conditions do not discriminate between Democrats and Republicans, the Medicaid cuts may be particularly damaging for residents of red states.
When House Republicans voted in the wee hours of the morning of May 22 to cut approximately $700 billion from Medicaid, they moved one step closer to rendering dangerously vulnerable the millions of Medicaid recipients struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder.
Medicaid, which covers more than 72 million Americans, is the single largest payer of behavioral health services, which includes mental health and substance use disorder treatment. As the United States works to destigmatize mental health and its treatment, it becomes even more important to ensure that people have the means to access needed care.
