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TWIN FALLS | Nearly 2 million low-income, uninsured people with a substance-use disorder or a mental illness live in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The 17-page report, released Monday, shows that Idaho — one of 20 "non-expansion" states — could improve access to behavioral health services for the thousands of residents currently in what is called the Medicaid Gap.

"By expanding Medicaid, (states) would have an important new opportunity to fund the important (behavioral health) tools like prevention, early intervention and the like," Richard Frank, HHS assistant secretary for Planning and Evaluation, said Monday in a conference call from Washington.

Of the non-expansion states, Idaho and Utah have the highest level of uninsured, low-income residents with mental illness or substance-abuse disorders — 39 and 40 percent, respectively.

Substance-use disorders, from opiate addiction to alcoholism, currently disqualify a person from Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability and Medicaid coverage.