Latest KFF Health News Stories
Florida Shifts Medicaid Mental Health Strategy
It offers a plan geared to people with serious mental illnesses that will coordinate physical and behavioral services.
Getting Rural Patients Psychiatric Help Fast
Patients in rural hospitals often have to wait days to see a psychiatrist. South Carolina is a leader in turning that around.
ACA Hasn’t Boosted Use Of Mental-Health Care Services In Philly Region
Caregivers blame Pennsylvania’s decision not to expand Medicaid, as well as the continued stigma of seeking such care.
Advocates Worry Conn. Decision Could Undermine Autism Coverage
That state has defined autism behavioral therapy as a type of medical benefit not subject to the mental health parity law, a move that allows insurers more latitude to limit the benefits they offer.
For Women Just Out Of Jail, Health Care Could Be Key To Better Life
Sheriff in San Francisco wants to make sure the 30,000 prisoners who come through the jail system every year have health insurance on the day they’re released.
Parents Of Mentally Ill Adult Children Frustrated By Privacy Law
Even if parents are providing health insurance, they often can’t find out about what’s happening when their adult children suffer from severe mental illnesses.
Cops In Conn. Train In Mental Health 101
The intersection of law enforcement and mental health has been a huge issue in Connecticut since the Newtown shootings. One department is training 20 percent of its officers to handle people with mental illnesses better.
Health Law Requires Medicare To Cover Dementia Evaluation
But an influential panel of experts says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend screening tests for the public.
Nearly 4 Million Seriously Mentally Ill Still Without Insurance
In states that agreed to expand Medicaid, about 3 million people who have those conditions are now eligible for coverage, however the 24 states that refused the Medicaid expansion have nearly millions with severe mental illness without insurance.
UCLA Memory Program Offers ‘Gym For Your Brain’
Games, stories, tai chi and dancing help patients — and caregivers — cope with memory loss
Technology Helps Bridge Gap In Michigan’s Mental Health Care
Overwhelmed mental health professionals are using telephone consultations and other approaches to reach patients in underserved communities.
New Insurance Policies Must Cover Mental Illness
Anyone who buys a plan through the new online marketplaces will find mental health services covered as one of 10 “essential health benefits.”
Doors To Treatment Opening For Poor Illinoisans Struggling With Mental Illness
Federal and state laws expand psychiatric coverage, but some experts fear care will be in short supply.
In Los Angeles, there’s a concerted effort to enroll the homeless into Medicaid, as the federal-state health insurance program opens for the first time to all poor adults.
Promises To Fix Mental Health System Still Unfulfilled
Even for those with the will and drive to pursue treatment, the process remains difficult, frightening and full of holes. On the federal level, little has come from the task forces and promises that followed the Newtown shootings.
Coverage Options For Young Adults Who Have A Mental Illness
A reader asks: Where can my son with a mental illness find coverage once he turns 26 and can’t be on our family insurance anymore?
Mental Health Parity Rule Clarifies Standards For Treatment Limits
Jennifer Mathis of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law talks with KHN’s consumer columnist.
Detailing Long-Awaited Mental Health Parity Law Regulations
The Obama administration released the final rules Friday for 1996 and 2008 laws that expanded the kinds of mental health and substance abuse care insurers must cover. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and CQ HealthBeat’s Rebecca Adams discuss.
Health Law Brings Changes In How Therapists Do Business
Mom-and-Pop shops give way to large group practices that often accept discounted rates from insurers.
Oregon Experiment Puts Therapists On Primary Care Teams
Medicaid patients can see different kinds of doctors in one visit, and the hope is it will provide better patient care, eventually at less cost to the state.
