WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Kurt Isaacson, the CEO of a Spectrum Health Systems, is afraid access to addiction services is in danger as a result of the President's 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' 

"You know, access is everything," Isaacson said when he sat down with Spectrum News 1. "So, when somebody raises their hand and says, 'I'm ready for treatment,' then you go to get them into treatment quickly. So, it's all about access."

They say proposed Medicaid cuts would lead to a significant portion of their client base getting left behind. Isaacson says there's really never a good time for cuts to Medicaid. But in the midst of a battle with opioids and fentanyl, the timing by the Trump Administration couldn't be worse.

"I think these cuts could be extremely harmful to people who are most at risk, the underserved, the poor," he said.

The White House saying this week the bill actually strengthens Medicaid by eliminating waste, as it would only help those who truly need it.

At a press conference last week, Governor Maura Healey, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey said proposed cuts to Medicaid would eliminate coverage for more than a quarter-million Massachusetts residents.

On top of impacts to nonprofits like Spectrum Health, Healey says the bill will cost the state's health care system $1.75 billion.

Isaacson says of the roughly 5,300 people they're serving in Massachusetts, about 60% of their patients get addiction services through Medicaid.

"We're hearing from our clients that they're very worried about losing access to Medicaid, and therefor access to treatment," Isaacson said. "We're also concerned and are talking to some of the smaller agencies and seeing if there's a way that we can help them continue to provide services. We can't do it all on our own."

Data from the Department of Public Health shows more than 2,100 people died of an opioid related overdose in 2023. 

As of now, Isaacson says there has been no impact on their clients or day-to-day operations. His message to them is don't worry.

"We're going to continue to provide services whether they have the coverage or not," he said. "We're not going to walk away from them. Addiction is just too much of a risk of relapse that we just don't want to have them not getting services."