Medicaid cuts in the Republican budget threaten the progress that’s been made in opioid overdose prevention across the country, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Strong federal funding led to a 26% decline in overdose deaths in Connecticut and across the country last year for a third consecutive year.
That progress is in jeopardy because of cuts to Medicaid in the Senate GOP budget bill that passed on Tuesday, Blumenthal said, during a visit to a substance-abuse outpatient facility in Hartford run by the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance on Wednesday.
“I’m angry, and in fact I’m furious, because those cuts in Medicaid are stupid and they are cruel," he said.
Medicaid has been a lifeline for people with substance abuse disorders, he said.
Almost half of everyone going through treatment for opioid use, and almost half of all adults are covered by Medicaid. That’s a gargantuan impact,” Blumenthal said.
He hopes the U.S. House Republicans will say no to the bill.
“Because they will be haunted by it if they vote for it. They will be held accountable. It's Trump’s show, but they own it,” he said.
