Eric Blevins column: When it comes to the opioid crisis, Medicaid is part of the solution

As Virginia legislators consider Medicaid expansion, we need to keep in mind the important role it plays in addressing the opioid epidemic. I live in Southwest Virginia, and I’ve been dealing with addiction since I was 12 years old. It didn’t start out with opioids, but by my 20s I was a heavy opioid user, taking high doses daily just to avoid withdrawal.

Recovery from opioid addiction is never an easy road, especially when you live in a small, rural town like mine. Where I live, there are only two choices for mental health treatment. Neither one specializes in treatment for substance use disorders.

It becomes much harder when you don’t have health care. Even my family doctor had to stop seeing me because I didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t cover my medical bills. More than once, I was prescribed medications that I couldn’t afford and sent on my way. I’m still trying to pay off a $1,200 bill from my last hospitalization.

With health insurance, I would have had access to more thorough, consistent, and effective treatment. I could have started my recovery sooner.

Eventually, I sought out AA meetings and found a free residential program in a town nearby. I reached out and built a support system. I ended up working at the program where I received treatment as a peer support substance use counselor. Today, I’m studying for my B.A. in substance use counseling.

I’ve been on both sides of the opioid epidemic. If you want to see why President Trump’s plan for addressing the opioid crisis is a nonstarter, look no further than Southwest Virginia.

Like me, many of the folks I saw coming in for treatment didn’t have health insurance. As a result, they had to leave the program after just a few days, while those who receive insurance through Medicaid are able to access longer-term treatment.

But instead of working to expand Medicaid, Trump has signed an executive order requiring people who receive Medicaid to work — even though most already do. And in my experience, when folks are receiving public assistance, there’s a reason. Either they can’t work due to illness or injury, or there are just no jobs to be found. In fact, research shows that people are actually more likely to work if they have health insurance. For those struggling with opioid addiction, access to treatment is often the first step in getting back to work and holding down a job.

Requiring people who participate in Medicaid to prove they work enough only puts them at risk of losing health care, jeopardizing their chance at recovery, and making it less likely that they’ll be able to find and keep a job down the road.

That’s not fair, and it’s not good policy.

Opioid use across the country is rampant, and the impact on our communities is terrifying. Lack of health insurance and ongoing stigma about mental health and substance use keep many from seeking treatment. Often, their addiction originates as a way to cope with traumatic events, since many don’t have access to mental health services to begin with.

Making it more difficult to access health care won’t solve these problems or save lives. Addiction isn’t the product of a moral failing; it’s an illness that requires a plan for prevention, treatment, and recovery. Instead of more partisan stalling, legislators should be advancing access to evidence-based treatment and expanding harm-reduction strategies, like the surgeon general’s recommendation that more people carry Naloxone — a medication that can prevent opioid overdose. And an important part of increasing access to treatment is expanding Medicaid in states like Virginia so more people can get the care they need.

Being part of the solution to the opioid epidemic has given me purpose and a new lease on life. Rather than attacking programs that increase access to treatment, I hope our elected leaders will choose to be part of the solution, too.