TABLE 2.

Key characteristics of beneficiaries enrolled in the North Carolina Medicaid “lock-in” program by latent class (n=2,701)

Latent class number/description	Summary of key characteristics associated with trajectory pattern
C1: Start high, end high	Older than C3–5; highest proportion of men; highest prevalence receiving Medicaid due to a disability; lower prevalence of MAT compared to C3–5; lowest mean ED visits; highest prevalence of severe pain diagnoses; lowest prevalence of mental health disorders; highest mean comorbidity index
C2: Start medium, end medium	Similar to C1 in many characteristics (e.g., age, gender, Medicaid eligibility category, pain diagnoses); different than C1 in greater use of ED; slightly lower prevalence of other substance-related disorder diagnoses
C3: Start medium, end low	Younger than C1&2; less disability than C1&2; greater use of MAT than C1&2; highest prevalence of other substance use-related disorders and overdose; greater use of ED than C1&2 and similar to C4&5; higher prevalence of mental health disorders than C1&2 and similar to C4&5
C4: Start low, end medium	Similar in age to C3, older than C5; larger proportion of women than C1–3, similar to C5; lower prevalence of disability than C1–3, more than C5; similar use of MAT to C3 but lower than C5; similar prevalence of pain diagnoses to C3, higher than C5; similar prevalence of mental health diagnoses to C3&5; higher mean comorbidity index than C5, similar to C3
C5: Start low, end low	Younger than C1–C4; highest prevalence of women; lowest prevalence of disability; very high prevalence of MAT (highest of any class); highest use of EDs; lowest prevalence of severe pain diagnoses; high prevalence of mental health disorders, similar to C3&4 and higher than C1&2; lowest comorbidity index

C= class (trajectory); MAT= medication-assisted treatment; ED= emergency department