Jim O’Connor: Preventing relapse after treatment
by Jim O'Connor, CADC | May 24, 2026
Originally published in the Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune published a Letter to the Editor by Jim O’Connor on May 24, 2026, arguing that interruptions in Medicaid coverage during early addiction recovery can increase the risk of relapse and destabilize treatment progress. O’Connor urged Illinois policymakers to align recovery policy with the realities of long-term stabilization and transitional support.
Preventing relapse after treatment
Illinois continues confronting rising behavioral health demands while state and federal policymakers debate Medicaid eligibility rules, work requirements and spending reductions. Much of that discussion still assumes people become stable immediately after leaving addiction treatment programs.
Recovery providers across Illinois know that is rarely the case.
The weeks immediately following discharge from residential treatment remain one of the highest-risk periods for relapse or overdose. Many people leave treatment committed to rebuilding their lives — but without stable housing, transportation, employment or reliable support systems.
At the same time, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services continues processing Medicaid eligibility redeterminations following the end of pandemic-era continuous-coverage protections. Nationally, millions of people have already lost Medicaid coverage during the unwinding process, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Many lost coverage because of paperwork problems or administrative communication failures rather than confirmed ineligibility.
For people in early recovery, even temporary coverage interruptions can destabilize progress.
Gaps in Medicaid coverage can delay counseling appointments, medication-assisted treatment, psychiatric care and transportation access. Recovery housing providers often help residents resolve these issues because many are still rebuilding the ability to manage appointments, paperwork and daily responsibilities consistently.
The conversation surrounding work requirements also deserves greater realism. Employment remains an important part of long-term recovery, and many recovery housing programs already require residents to pursue work and participate in structured daily responsibilities. But recovery timelines rarely move in predictable stages. People leaving treatment often need transitional support before they can consistently maintain full-time employment.
When continuity of care breaks down, the consequences eventually reappear inside emergency rooms, homeless shelters and criminal justice systems. Cook County and suburban municipalities continue managing repeated behavioral health crises that become more expensive once people lose access to stable treatment and recovery support.
Recovery rarely stabilizes within a 30-day treatment window. Illinois should align Medicaid policy and long-term recovery support around the realities of addiction recovery rather than administrative assumptions about immediate independence.
— Jim O’Connor, certified alcohol and drug counselor and founder, The Second Story Foundation
