Substance Abuse Treatment Services for People with Disabilities

Abstract

The authors present results from an exploratory study conducted to learn more about how Medicaid managed-care plans meet the needs for substance abuse treatment among people with disabilities. These results suggest that capitated health plan staff members are more likely to be knowledgeable about the special needs of people with disabilities who also experience substance abuse problems. Staff members of smaller and more focused health plans demonstrated the greatest knowledge about individuals with disabilities. Staff members of larger behavioral health carve-outs are more likely to develop strategies to achieve population-level goals, such as increased access to care and cost-efficiency. The carve-out plans are likely to offer specialized services only to people with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems or to individuals with HIV/AIDS. The authors discuss a number of barriers that make it difficult for managed-care organizations to provide substance abuse treatment services to people with disabilities.