MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont - a pioneering state in the fight against opioid abuse - is among states that have been slower to spend the first wave of emergency federal funding.
An Associated Press analysis finds that states are spending the funding differently under the 21st Century Cures Act grant program. The AP analysis found states that expanded Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul reported spending their allocations more slowly than states that didn’t expand the health insurance program. Medicaid covers treatment for the poor.
The AP analysis found that Vermont has spent just 21 percent of the emergency funding while the state says it has spent more than double that. Either percentage is lower than the rates of spending by many states that did not expand Medicaid.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.