Frustrated by out-of-control increases in drug overdose deaths, California's leaders are trying something radical: They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober. The federal government has been doing it for years with military veterans, and research shows it is one of the most effective ways to get people to stop using drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, stimulants for which there are no pharmaceutical treatments available, reports the AP. It works like this: People earn small incentives or payments for every negative drug test over a period of time. Most people who complete the treatment without any positive tests can earn a few hundred dollars. It's called "contingency management," and Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the federal government for permission to use tax dollars to pay for it through Medicaid.
Meanwhile, a similar proposal has already passed the state Senate with no opposition and is pending in the Assembly, where it has a Republican co-author. "I think there is a lot in this strategy for everyone to like," said state Sen. Scott Wiener, the Democratic author. "Most important of all, it works." A program covering 1,000 people could cost as much as $286,000, but that's a pittance in California's total operating budget of more than $262 billion. California has a law prohibiting people from profiting from treatment programs, but Wiener's law would clarify that contingency management is legal under state law. Whether it violates federal law is still a question. "We don't think it does," Wiener said. His bill would require California's Medicaid program to pay for the treatment while Newsom's plan would let counties choose whether to participate.
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