The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee outlined a set of federal policy and care recommendations in an April 28 letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In January, HHS appointed 21 new members to the committee, bringing expertise in systems…
Government & Regulation
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers in the House introduced the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act to expand behavioral healthcare access. The legislation was introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, Doris Matsui, D-Calif., Craig Goldman, R-Texas, Angie Craig, D-Minn.,…
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has updated federal guidance on harm reduction funding in an April 24 letter outlining which supplies and services are eligible for support. The guidance builds on a July 29 letter that marked…
The Trump administration is working to reinstate the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized support option for LGBTQ+ callers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a Senate hearing, Medpage Today reported April 24. The administration removed the tailored…
The FDA is issuing national priority vouchers to three companies studying psychedelic drugs to treat serious mental illness. The vouchers were issued to companies studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder as well as methylone for post-traumatic stress…
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The Connecticut Insurance Department fined Aetna, Cigna, ConnectiCare, UnitedHealthcare and Anthem over alleged mental health parity violations, according to an April 15 department report. The report said carriers had “non-comparable and inadequate [mental health and substance use disorder] networks because…
The Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration have placed FDA-approved products containing marijuana and state-licensed medical marijuana products in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The order takes effect immediately and also initiates an expedited administrative hearing process to…
The American Medical Association is calling on federal lawmakers to enact safeguards on AI chatbots, particularly when it comes to protecting patients’ mental health. With the rapid rise of people using chatbots for behavioral and other health-related issues, the AMA…
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is launching a behavioral health research initiative that will fund up to $139.4 million to develop new therapies. The initiative, Evidence-Based Validation and Innovation for Rapid Therapeutics in Behavioral Health, will allocate at…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order April 18 directing federal agencies to accelerate research, regulatory review and access to psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, for serious mental illnesses. The order comes as more than 14 million American adults live with serious…