Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wynne Lee, 17, struggled with depression and cultural expectations for several years. The teen from Diamond Bar, California, is like many kids from Asian American families who often have trouble finding appropriate treatment.
Many People With Substance Abuse Problems May Find Few To Treat Them
More people are getting insurance coverage for addiction treatment, but there’s already a shortage of trained professionals.
Rule Proposed On Providing Mental Health ‘Parity’ In Medicaid Program
Seven years after passing a mental health parity law, the federal government issues its first proposal on how public programs such as Medicaid and CHIP should comply.
Battle For Mental Health Parity Produces Mixed Results
Some of the obvious problems, such as separate deductibles for mental health care, have been eliminated. But advocates are concerned about more subtle insurance processes, such as reviews of medical necessity, that could be hampering coverage.
Research Plan Could Drive ‘Culture Change’ In How Mental Illness Is Diagnosed, Treated
The National Institute of Mental Health released a five-year strategic plan that prioritizes the genetics of mental illness, the development of treatments based on those findings and the discovery of brain patterns related to a range of mental health disorders.
Depression, Related Ailments Take Their Toll On The Workplace, Study Finds
A new report says the costs associated with major depressive disorder and other related conditions affect businesses’ bottom lines.
Mental Health Providers Look For Federal Incentives To Go Digital, Too
The federal government is spending $26 billion to get doctors and hospitals to move to digital records to help coordinate care, but the funding does not include mental health clinics, psychologists and psychiatric hospitals.
Mental Health Privacy Questions Arise In Rape Case At University Of Oregon
In a lawsuit over a rape case involving three basketball players, the university accessed a student’s mental health records detailing treatment she received at the campus clinic.
Residents of a tiny rural town in northern California talk about the lack of access to mental health care.
When Health Care Is Far From Home
The biggest barrier to treatment for residents of a tiny town in the mountains of Northern California isn’t insurance coverage– it’s distance.
Kaiser Permanente Faulted Again For Mental Health Care Lapses In California
Following up on a critical report in 2013, the California Department of Managed Health Care found Kaiser Permanente had not resolved concerns about providing timely and appropriate access to treatment.
Burwell Calls For Congress To Work With Her On Health Issues
The chief of the Department of Health and Human Services says Democrats and Republicans can reach accord on many issues beyond the health law.
Even With Coverage Expansion, Access To Mental Health Services Poses Challenges
A 50-state analysis details incidence rates of mental illness and access to care across the country.
For Formerly Obese, Stigma Remains Even After Weight Is Lost
People who have lost significant weight are uneasy about how much to reveal in online dating profiles, and research shows they have good reason to be.
Urgent Care Centers Opening For People With Mental lllness
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Hoping to keep more people with mental illness out of jails and emergency rooms, county health officials opened a mental health urgent care center Wednesday in South Los Angeles. The goal of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Mental Health Urgent Care Center is to stabilize and treat people in immediate crisis […]
‘Pastoral Counselors’ Help Fill Mental Health Gap In Rural States
Six states allow these counselors
Wrestling With A Texas County’s Mental Health System
Strong leadership and common-sense budgeting created a model mental health care system in San Antonio.
San Antonio Police Have Radical Approach To Mental Illness: Treat It
With specialized training and a redirection of resources, San Antonio’s police force is taking better care of mentally ill people, keeping them out of jail and saving $10 million a year.
Has Health Law Helped Young People Get Mental Health Treatment? Maybe
Mental health issues like depression, anxiety and substance abuse often start in adolescence, then peak in young adulthood. But for young people who don’t have steady jobs or stable paychecks, getting help can be tough. A popular provision of the Affordable Care Act that took effect in 2010 aimed to make it easier for young […]
To Beat Heroin Addiction, A Turn To Coaches
A one-year pilot project in Gosnold, Mass., provides recovering addicts with daily, sometimes hourly, help from a recovery coach.
