Medicaid managed care coverage for alcohol use disorder treatment
Alcohol treatment in Medicaid managed care plans: Disparities in policies and outcomes
This project looks at how Medicaid managed care plans cover alcohol use disorder treatment and how those policies relate to care for people on Medicaid.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11305016 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have alcohol use disorder and are on Medicaid, researchers will survey Medicaid managed care organizations across all states to see what treatments they cover, what rules they use, and which providers are in their networks. They will link those policy answers to de-identified Medicaid patient records to see how plan policies relate to who gets treatment and health outcomes. The team will compare policies across states and plans to identify gaps, barriers like prior authorization or narrow networks, and promising innovations. Findings will be used to suggest policy changes that could improve access to evidence-based care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with alcohol use disorder who are enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans are the main group whose records and experiences this work focuses on.
Not a fit: People who are uninsured, privately insured, or enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service plans that do not use managed care organizations may not see direct benefits from this specific analysis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could reveal coverage gaps and policies that, when changed, may make evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorder easier to access for people on Medicaid.
How similar studies have performed: Some prior research has described Medicaid coverage broadly, but directly linking managed care organization policies to patient-level treatment and outcomes is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stewart, Maureen T — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Stewart, Maureen T
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.