Every day, I work on the frontlines of the addiction and overdose crisis here in Charleston, a crisis that has hit West Virginia harder than any other state in the nation. This work is difficult.
As a clinical psychologist, I sit with people as they recall name after name of friends and loved ones lost to overdose. I listen as people recount their own near-misses and overflowing of gratitude for life saving overdose reversal medications.
But all of this work is at risk because of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that was adopted by the House of Representatives last month and is now before the U.S. Senate. This legislation slashes Medicaid by around $800 billion and will harm millions of people across the country, including 507,000 West Virginians who are only able to access critical health care because of this life-saving program.
Medicaid is the largest provider of addiction treatment in the country, providing coverage for 56% of people who utilize medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) and 64% of people who receive outpatient treatment for their OUD. Over 34,000 West Virginians rely on Medicaid for addiction services that would otherwise be unavailable. The majority of my patients with OUD use Medicaid to access lifesaving treatment and care. I have seen, over and over, how Medicaid saves and changes lives.