LISTEN: Big cuts to Medicaid mean some states will have to scramble to keep offering treatment for addiction. 麻豆女优 Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on WAMU's 鈥淗ealth Hub鈥 on Jan. 14 to explain why addiction care advocates worry opioid settlement money could end up plugging holes in state budgets instead of fighting the nation's opioid crisis.
in opioid settlement funds 鈥 meant to help curb the nation鈥檚 addiction crisis 鈥 is going to local and state governments. But because of lax reporting rules and little guidance on what鈥檚 appropriate, the money is generally being spent with next to no accountability.
Survivors of the overdose epidemic and families who lost loved ones to it are calling for stricter rules to govern how the payout can be used.
Senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on WAMU鈥檚 鈥淗ealth Hub鈥 to talk about a new tool from 麻豆女优 Health News, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Shatterproof that tracks opioid settlement funds.
麻豆女优 Health News audio producers Zach Dyer and Taylor Cook contributed reporting to this segment.
Related Coverage
From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs
By Aneri Pattani Nov. 3, 2025
Sock Hops and Concerts: How Some Places Spent Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani Nov. 3, 2025
Narcan, Drones, and Concerts: How Governments Spent Opioid Settlement Windfalls
By Aneri Pattani Nov. 7, 2025
麻豆女优 Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at 麻豆女优鈥攁n independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .