Mayor Barrett calls on state officials to expand Medicaid coverage for opioid use disorders



MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is calling on state officials to expand Medicaid coverage for opioid use disorders.

The battle over whether to accept federal money to expand Medicaid took center stage during the governor's race.

Governor-elect Tony Evers has said he would accept federal money, which Governor Scott Walker had decided not to take.

If Walker signs the legislation passed by the GOP-led Legislature, Evers will need to ask permission to move forward on accepting federal funding for Medicaid.

"People have to understand - you might have political reasons for not liking this, but this has real-world impact on our ability as a community, as a county, as a state to provide treatment that those individuals need who are trying to wean themselves off these drugs," Barrett said.

In 2017, 400 people died from opioid overdoses in Milwaukee County.