Governors who are facing huge budget shortfalls—due to the corona virus pandemic and the economic downturn—are eyeing cuts to Medicaid funding that would threaten critical drug treatment services. Medicaid consumes about 20 percent of state budgets and is therefore ripe for pruning as states reel from a drop in tax revenues that require substantial budget cuts. But Medicaid is also the country’s biggest payer of addiction and mental-health services—covering four in 10 individuals among the half a million Americans with opioid addiction— and is a lifeline from those struggling with substance abuse.
Medicaid is also crucial for millions of newly unemployed Americans who have lost their employee-based coverage, and for those who contracted Covid-19. Considering these circumstances, it’s time for the federal government, which jointly funds Medicaid with the states, to let governors know they will bolster resources to the states, to ensure the program is able to maintain services for drug treatment, and for those who have lost their insurance or are fighting the corona virus.
Meanwhile, recreational marijuana stores in Massachusetts will be back in business soon as a phased reopening of the state’s economy gets underway. Governor Baker had prohibited recreational pot sales during the pandemic, fearing that tourists would flock to the state to buy the stuff and spread the virus. Baker came under pressure by the pot lobby to relent and open the shops, and he should be commended for not backing down—and choosing public health over profit.