From "Open the Books"
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/is-opioid-settlement-money-saving
Looking at what has happened after the opioid settlement. Money is coming from a trust and allocated to states. The states are supposed to use that $$ for abatement of harm. Example of PA spending - not measured against a result and in some cases are not justified. Ditto for other states.
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/spending-addiction-providers-who
Looking at Medicaid spending and how it has exploded in recent years.
@mhjohnson We really need to educate the public about this fact: earmarking of funds rarely works the way its' advertised in reality.
This is SUCH a common claim and has been for so long, but it regularly causes problems. If only we could let the public know that it never works so they should always reject a politician making that promise.
