GREENSBURG — Pennsylvania officials are moving to limit free rides for heroin addicts to distant methadone clinics in more than one-third of the counties in the commonwealth as part of a revision to state policy that oversees the medical assistance transportation program.

Under the change beginning in September, the state will cap payments made to reimburse addicts who drive long distances for methadone treatment. Only 25 cents per mile, and up to 50 miles per trip, will be provided for participants to drive to one of the two closest clinics to their homes.

The program currently reimburses unlimited mileage for travel to any clinic that a participant chooses in a 10-county region.

Spokeswoman Beth Myers of the Department of Public Welfare says the change has been in the works for nearly a year.

"We did a cost-benefit analysis because we have a limited funding stream. We want to use our funding as cost effective as possible," Myers said.

Myers said 23 counties will be under the revised guidelines in September, including Westmoreland, Fayette, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties. Indiana and Cambria counties were part of a pilot program imposing mileage limits in December.

The medical assistance transportation program provides free rides to doctors and other treatment centers for people who receive public assistance. The policy change would affect only those who drive themselves to methadone clinics, and those who get there by taxi or by bus will not be limited in where they receive treatment, Myers said.

The state Senate last month authorized an audit of the transportation program to determine how much taxpayer money was used to pay for rides to methadone clinics. The resolution was introduced by state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, who has criticized the use of taxpayer money for long-distance trips for heroin addiction treatment.