CHERISH Events

Substance Use Disorder Policy and Care in a Time of Medicaid Change

2026 PennLDI/CHERISH Virtual Conference

March 25, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (ET)

Virtual (via Zoom)

Medicaid serves as the largest payer for substance use disorder (SUD) care treatment in the U.S. The changes from the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) are expected to dramatically impact the program and the people it covers. Work requirements, eligibility changes, and state budget pressures will shape care delivery and patient outcomes.

In partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (PennLDI), we have gathered policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to explore options to help advance evidence-based SUD treatment under the new rules ahead, including a keynote address with Chinazo Cunningham, the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), and Dan Gorenstein, founder and executive editor of Tradeoffs, as moderator.

Catch the full agenda and featured sessions with:

  • Chinazo Cunningham, MD, MS, (keynote speaker), Commissioner, New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports
  • Christina Andrews, PhD, Professor, Health Service Policy and Management, University of South Carolina
  • Paula Chatterjee, MD, MPH, Director of Health Equity Research, Penn LDI; Assistant Professor, Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Pete Croughan, MD, Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Department of Public Health
  • Farah Erzouki, MPH, Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
  • Dan Gorenstein, Founder and Executive Editor, Tradeoffs Podcast
  • Lydia Gottesfeld, JD, Managing Attorney, Health & Independence Unit, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
  • Benjamin Linas, MD, MPH, Director, Population Data & Modeling Core, CHERISH; Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Margaret Lowenstein, MD, MSHP, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Beth McGinty, PhD, MS, Co-Founding Director, Cornell Health Policy Center; Chief, Division of Health Policy and Economics; and Livingston Farrand Professor, Public Health at Weill Cornell Medicine
  • Zachary Meisel, MD, MPH, Professor, Emergency Medicine and Director, Center for Emergency Care Policy and Research, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Kristen Underhill, MSc, JD, Associate Dean, Faculty Research and Professor, Law, Cornell University
  • Arthur Robin Williams, MD, MBE, Chief Medical Officer, Ophelia
CONFERENCE RECAP Agenda