The Alcohol, Drug, Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties says they have concerns over federal cuts to Medicaid.
Federal funding accounts for 74% of total Medicaid spending in Ohio, according to a May 2025 report.
ADAMH’s Executive Director Natalie Bollon says they make up the difference of what a client can pay versus treatment cost at partnering agencies of SpringVale, Ohio Guidestone, and Southeast.
“Sliding fee for mental health counseling, sliding fee for psychiatry, sliding fee for group therapy. All of the certified treatment services that you’re able to receive, if it’s a certified treatment service, the ADAMH’s Board subsidizes whatever amount on that sliding fee scale [and] makes up that difference of what the client is able to pay and the cost of those services, so we touch many of the individual services in Tuscarawas and Carroll County.”
Special Projects Manager Mike Dotts adds that with Medicaid cuts and people falling off coverage their income remains within the poverty level making them eligible for the sliding fee, potentially placing a cost burden on the ADAMH’s Board.
“As those drop offs happen basically schedule to start January 1st of 2027 their needs don’t go away. They’re still going to be at the agencies that they’ve been at before but now that cost burden has shifted from Medicaid to any other sources.”
In Ohio, over 3 million children and adults are currently enrolled in the program. Dotts notes that while Medicaid is not being eliminated additional restrictions are being placed for individuals to access the program.
“So, there’s things like work requirements and recertification requirements. The most recent understanding of how that’s going to work is 80 hours per month of either work, volunteer, or potential a special exemption.”
Bollon points out if individuals don’t receive mental health or certified addiction treatment there can be a community-wide impact from that individuals home life, career, and further.
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