March 1, 2018
Health care facilities are the frontline responders to the state’s opioid crisis. In a recent report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government, opioid-related deaths in New York have skyrocketed 71 percent from 2010 to 2015. While treating opioid addiction is an urgent public health priority, limited attention has been paid to issues of access and financing of opioid treatment. In this policy brief, we examine who pays for opioid treatment in New York State and the implications it has for access to healthcare.