About

Colleen M. Grogan is a Professor and Deputy Dean for Curriculum at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. She is involved in multiple departmental roles, including faculty affiliation with the Biological Sciences Division and the Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CheSS). Her work encompasses social work, policy, health administration, and health politics, with a focus on health policy and social sciences. She holds offices at the University of Chicago's main campus and is engaged in graduate programs related to health administration and policy, contributing to curriculum development and academic leadership in these areas.

Research topics

• Psychiatry
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Finance
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Nursing
• Psychotherapist
• Business

Selected publications

• Trends in Medicaid Managed Care Benefits for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, 2015-2019

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• The Welfare Workforce: Why Mental Health Care Varies Across Affluent Democracies <i>by Isabel M. Perera</i>

  Political Science Quarterly · 2026-04-16

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Trends in Medicaid managed care benefits for opioid use disorder treatment, 2015–2019

  Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment · 2026-05-06

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Medicaid Managed Care Plan Alignment With State Substance Use Disorder Treatment Coverage Requirements

  Milbank Quarterly · 2026-04-27

  articleOpen access

  Policy Points States contract with Medicaid managed care plans to administer benefits for roughly 70 million Medicaid enrollees, yet little is known about how plan benefit policies for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment medications align with state requirements. In this study, we found that among the population of 167 Medicaid managed care plans responsible for SUD pharmacy benefits in 2021, many did not align with state requirements to cover SUD treatment medications. Many plans imposed prior authorization requirements on these medications, even when prohibited from doing so. Alignment between state requirements and reported plan policies was less common among plans operating in Republican-leaning states. CONTEXT: Medicaid is the largest payer of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in the United States. Managed care plays an important role, administering benefits for more than 80% of Medicaid enrollees. While state governments have enacted coverage requirements for SUD treatment medications that managed care plans must follow, the extent to which managed care coverage policies align with these rules remains largely unknown. METHODS: We linked a national survey of state Medicaid officials regarding state requirements for SUD medication benefits in 2021 with data on SUD medication coverage and management from all 167 Medicaid managed care plans in 2021. We assessed the extent to which plans aligned with state requirements-overall, and by the dominant voter political lean in the state in which the plans were embedded. FINDINGS: In 2021, the proportion of Medicaid managed care plans aligned with state coverage requirements for alcohol use disorder treatment medications was slightly higher than that for opioid use disorder treatment medications. Alignment for coverage was more common than alignment with prior authorization prohibitions. Democratic-leaning states were more likely to require coverage of alcohol and opioid use disorder medications, except in the case of methadone. In Republican-leaning states, most managed care plans did not align with requirements to cover disulfiram and acamprosate and 45.4% did not align with methadone coverage requirements. Plans in Republican-leaning states were less likely to align with prior authorization bans on every SUD treatment medication. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid managed care plans located in Republican-leaning states were less likely to be subject to state requirements governing coverage and prior authorization of SUD treatment medications, with the exception of methadone, and were also less likely to align with requirements when imposed by states.

  PublisherDOI

• Single State Agency Licensure Requirements for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs in the United States: Results of a National Survey

  Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · 2026-04-02

  articleOpen access

  Background Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a critical public health crisis in the United States, with high prevalence and overdose mortality rates. Despite the availability of effective treatments, including medications that significantly reduce overdose risk, fewer than 20% of Americans with active SUD receive treatment annually. Single State Agencies (SSAs), which oversee federal funding and regulate SUD treatment programs, hold significant authority to impose licensure and reporting requirements intended to promote treatment quality. Methods This study presents findings from a national survey of SSAs across 50 states and the District of Columbia (94% response rate) conducted between 2020 and 2021, examining their roles in licensing SUD programs and setting requirements to promote evidence-based clinical practice. Results Results reveal that 58.3% of SSAs were responsible for licensing SUD treatment programs, with most requiring reporting primarily from publicly funded programs rather than all licensed providers. Staffing and clinical practice requirements varied substantially across treatment settings: opioid treatment programs and inpatient withdrawal management services were most frequently subject to medical staffing and supervision mandates, while outpatient programs were less regulated in these respects. Few SSAs required minimum staffing ratios or mandated medical professionals on staff in outpatient settings, limiting access to medication-based treatments. While patient placement criteria and clinical assessments were commonly required, clinical supervision requirements were inconsistent, and data reporting was often limited. Across treatment settings, treatment and aftercare/discharge planning were commonly required. Conclusions The study findings indicate that agency requirements in many states allow for SUD treatment practices and staffing arrangements that are inconsistent with evidence-based care. Balancing quality improvements with maintaining access to care may necessitate additional resources and technical support for treatment programs to meet higher standards. Enhancing licensure requirements may be a critical step toward closing persistent gaps in SUD treatment quality and expanding access to lifesaving interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• Alcohol Use Disorder Diagnosis and Medication Treatment Increased but Remain Low in Medicaid Managed Care

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs · 2026-04-06

  article

  OBJECTIVE: As the largest payer of addiction treatment in the United States, Medicaid plays an important role in the delivery and quality of AUD treatment. However, little is known about AUD in the Medicaid managed care population, which consists of roughly 62 million adults. To address this literature gap, we examined diagnosis of AUD and receipt of medications for AUD (MAUD) among adult Medicaid managed care beneficiaries in 17 states. METHOD: We used Medicaid claims data from 17 states to identify AUD diagnosis and receipt of MAUD (2017-2019). We used logistic regression with state fixed effects to identify characteristics of Medicaid managed care beneficiaries associated with AUD diagnosis and receipt of MAUD. RESULTS: Over the study period, the percentage of beneficiaries with an AUD diagnosis increased from 2.7% in 2017 to 3.0% in 2019 (11.1% increase), and the percentage receiving MAUD increased from 6.5% to 9.3% (43.1% increase). Results also showed substantial variation in AUD diagnosis, MAUD receipt, and type of MAUD prescribed across states. The odds of having an AUD diagnosis were lower for female and non-White beneficiaries, while the odds were higher for older beneficiaries and beneficiaries with a substance use disorder diagnosis. Results predicting MAUD receipt were similar. CONCLUSIONS: While only 9.3% of beneficiaries with an AUD diagnosis received MAUD in 2019, receipt of MAUD increased by 43.1% during study period, signaling substantial growth in access. Overall, our findings suggest that greater efforts are needed to identify and treat AUD in the Medicaid managed care population.

  PublisherDOI

• Single state agency licensure requirements for substance use disorder treatment programs in the United States: results of a national survey

  Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy · 2026-04-02

  articleOpen access

  Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a critical public health crisis in the United States, with high prevalence and overdose mortality rates. Despite the availability of effective treatments, including medications that significantly reduce overdose risk, fewer than 20% of Americans with active SUD receive treatment annually. Single State Agencies (SSAs), which oversee federal funding and regulate SUD treatment programs, hold significant authority to impose licensure and reporting requirements intended to promote treatment quality. This study presents findings from a national survey of SSAs across 50 states and the District of Columbia (94% response rate) conducted between 2020 and 2021, examining their roles in licensing SUD programs and setting requirements to promote evidence-based clinical practice. Results reveal that 58.3% of SSAs were responsible for licensing SUD treatment programs, with most requiring reporting primarily from publicly funded programs rather than all licensed providers. Staffing and clinical practice requirements varied substantially across treatment settings: opioid treatment programs and inpatient withdrawal management services were most frequently subject to medical staffing and supervision mandates, while outpatient programs were less regulated in these respects. Few SSAs required minimum staffing ratios or mandated medical professionals on staff in outpatient settings, limiting access to medication-based treatments. While patient placement criteria and clinical assessments were commonly required, clinical supervision requirements were inconsistent, and data reporting was often limited. Across treatment settings, treatment and aftercare/discharge planning were commonly required. The study findings indicate that agency requirements in many states allow for SUD treatment practices and staffing arrangements that are inconsistent with evidence-based care. Balancing quality improvements with maintaining access to care may necessitate additional resources and technical support for treatment programs to meet higher standards. Enhancing licensure requirements may be a critical step toward closing persistent gaps in SUD treatment quality and expanding access to lifesaving interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• Medicaid Managed Care Organization Service Coverage and Diagnosis and Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Evidence From Quasi-Random Auto-Assignment in Kentucky

  Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · 2025-07-01

  articleOpen access

  Introduction Opioid-related mortality continues to claim tens of thousands of American lives annually. Medicaid plays an outsized role in financing opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, paying for almost 40% of all Americans who received OUD treatment in 2017. Methods Using Medicaid T-MSIS Analytic Files data and a novel data set of Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) plan coverage, we examined the relationship between comprehensiveness of benefits for OUD treatment provided by Medicaid MCO plans and the likelihood of OUD diagnosis and medications for OUD (MOUD) receipt among newly enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries in Kentucky. We use two stage least squares to adjust for MCO plan choice that may be correlated with individual OUD risk or individual demand for OUD treatment. Results Our findings show that Medicaid beneficiaries assigned to MCO plans with more comprehensive OUD benefits are more likely to be diagnosed with OUD and to receive MOUD. Conclusion These results suggest that increasing Medicaid MCO plan coverage to include a broader array of OUD treatment services and medications may be an effective strategy for increasing both OUD diagnosis and MOUD receipt, which is crucial for combating the ongoing opioid epidemic.

  PublisherDOI

• Section 1115 Substance Use Disorder Waivers: Opportunities and Limitations

  Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law · 2025-08-11

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  In 2022, 48.7 million people in the United States (17.3% of the population aged 12 or older) met the criteria for substance use disorder (SUD). Nearly 40% of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are Medicaid recipients, making Medicaid the largest single source of OUD treatment insurance coverage. Despite this crucial importance, two major barriers to expanding access to treatment for persons with SUD are baked into the program: the institutions for mental diseases (IMD) exclusion and the Medicaid inmate exclusion. This article first provides a timeline of these two waiver reforms to illustrate the variation in waivers over time and across states. Then it assesses the evidence to date on how well the SUD waivers are working to accomplish these goals in states that have adopted them. This review will focus on the SUD waivers that address the IMD exclusion, because the Medicaid inmate exclusion waivers are too new for any systematic evidence. It will then consider outstanding implementation challenges and policy risks associated with the IMD and Medicaid inmate exclusion waivers, and it will conclude by considering challenges that these waivers do not address and that therefore demand particular attention to properly serve persons living with SUD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Relationship between Medicaid coverage design and receipt of medication for alcohol use disorder (MAUD): Probability of receipt increases based on comprehensiveness of plan

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports · 2025-08-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects one in ten Americans. As one of the largest payers of AUD treatment in the United States, Medicaid managed care plays a key role in facilitating access to AUD treatment services and medications. However, little is known about how AUD coverage in Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) affects treatment receipt. We examined the relationship between the comprehensiveness of Medicaid MCO plan coverage of AUD treatment and receipt of medications for AUD (MAUD). We used Medicaid claims data from Kentucky (2016-2019); our final analytic sample consisted of 202,230 newly enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries. Kentucky quasi-randomly assigns Medicaid beneficiaries to one of five MCO plans with different AUD treatment coverage. We leveraged the random assignment to MCO plans using a Two-Stage Least Squares/Instrumental Variable (TSLS/IV) approach to estimate the effects of MCO plan comprehensiveness on receipt of MAUD. Diagnosis with AUD and receipt of MAUD was relatively uncommon- only 0.5 % of Medicaid beneficiaries were diagnosed with AUD and received MAUD across all plans. Results showed that for each additional AUD treatment modality covered, the probability of receiving MAUD increased by 6.7 % relative to the mean [mean: 0.5 %; difference per additional service/MAUD (in percentage points): 0.033; p < 0.05]. Expanding coverage in the least comprehensive MCO plan to match the most comprehensive plan would increase the probability of receiving MAUD by 47 %. Overall, study findings indicate that when insurance plans cover a broader array of AUD treatment services and medications, patients are more likely to receive MAUD.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Harold A. Pollack

  Chicago Department of Public Health

  101 shared

• Peter D. Friedmann

  Baystate Health

  100 shared

• Keith Humphreys

  Stanford University

  75 shared

• Christina M. Andrews

  68 shared

• Amanda J. Abraham

  University of South Carolina

  61 shared

• Sunggeun Park

  58 shared

• Jennifer E. Mosley

  University of Chicago

  58 shared

• Richard M. Scheffler

  University of California, Berkeley

  37 shared