Medicaid Will Pay for Addiction Screening; Advocates Seek AMA Action, Too

On its face, this is clearly a good thing. Two big caveats. First, it does nothing about the already detected AOD problems that we see every day. Second, and probably more important, the quote below suggests that this may provide fuel for the current migration from specialty addiction treatment providers to mental health programs:

Goplerud told Join Together that the new codes would be "essential for expansion of SBI in public-sector programs," such as community health centers, Indian Health Service clinics, public hospitals, community mental-health centers, and migrant health centers. "It gives a financial base for the sustainability of these programs,"