Latest Morning Briefing Stories

$20K Bonuses Among Latest Moves To Improve California’s Prison Mental Health System

KFF Health News Original

After decades of unsuccessful efforts to improve California prison conditions, advocates and a federal judge are betting that bonuses and better work accommodations will attract and keep the mental health professionals needed to better treat prisoners.

Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

KFF Health News Original

As state officials anticipate Medicaid funding cuts that could strip resources for those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, an army of unpaid caregivers waits in the wings: children. At least 5.4 million kids are estimated to be caring for family members at home, a number likely to rise if Medicaid cuts hit professional home-based services.

Opioid Settlement Windfall: Where the Billions Are Going

KFF Health News Original

Opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have been paying billions of dollars to settle lawsuits over their role in the overdose epidemic. How to spend the money remains an open question.

3 Things To Watch on Mental Health in Trump’s Early Budget Proposals

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump’s budget office says he’ll continue to fund the new 988 suicide prevention hotline, but documents sent to Congress offer clues — amid some mixed messages — about the administration’s approach to two pressing public health issues: mental health and addiction.

Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away

KFF Health News Original

More Californians are getting mental health or substance use disorder treatment online or over the phone than in person, according to a KFF Health News analysis of UCLA’s latest California Health Interview Survey. But the telehealth experience isn’t always positive.

Trump Team Faces Key Legal Decision That Could Put Mental Health Parity in Peril

KFF Health News Original

The administration is facing a May 12 deadline to declare if it will defend Biden-era regulations that aim to enforce laws requiring parity in insurance coverage of mental and physical health care.

In a Broken Mental Health System, a Tiny Jail Cell Becomes an Institution of Last Resort

KFF Health News Original

Like local jails nationwide, Montana’s small holding facilities have become institutions of last resort as patients in mental health crisis stall in backlogs, waiting for beds at the state-run mental hospital.