This National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) report examines state-level health care reform efforts in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont and their effects on substance abuse treatment and prevention.  Though all three states passed mandates and parity for substance abuse services within private insurance plans, NASADAD found that the Single State Agency (SSA) continued to play a prominent role in substance abuse treatment and prevention both during and after health care reform.  The SSAs played a valuable implementation role, including acting as liaisons with the criminal justice and welfare systems.  Furthermore, NASADAD notes the continued importance of SAMHSA's Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant during and after health care reform.  The report notes that all three states experienced increased numbers of uninsured clients seeking services after reform and further notes that reform does not fund recovery support services traditionally delivered by SAT providers.  Finally, NASADAD notes that even under reform, the SAPT Block Grant remained the primary funder of prevention services in all three states. The authors conclude that there is a vital role for the SSA and the SAPT Block Grant both during and after health care reform. 

Full report: http://www.nasadad.org/resource.php?base_id=2104 

National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. (2010). The effects of health care reform on access to, and funding of, substance abuse services in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.