Medicaid Expansion Means Treatment for More Ohio Opiate Addicts

Mental health officials say opiate addiction in Ohio has hit record numbers. But the recent expansion of Medicaid services has helped more people get addiction services. Andrea Boxill of the Governor's Opiate Action team says everything possible is being done to get help to people who need it. "We're trying everything we can to make sure that we're expanding access to services and treatment", Boxill said. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services says since the end of September, more than 17-thousand people accessed behavioral health services through the expansion of Medicaid since it went into effect last January. You can hear Andrea Boxill conversation with WOSU' Marilyn Smith.