Proposed Medicaid work requirements include some exceptions for individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, but questions remain about how these exceptions would be implemented, according to a June 23 report from KFF. In May, the House passed…
Government & Regulation
Proposed legislation would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct proactive outreach to veterans with mental health-related service-connected disabilities. The legislation, introduced June 10 by U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Chuck Edwards, would require the VA to reach out…
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has lost hundreds of staffers between layoffs and departures, The Washington Post reported June 18. The agency, part of HHS, is “in crisis,” The Post wrote, as SAMHSA faces budget cuts and…
The share of Medicaid beneficiaries with a mental illness or substance use disorder and the number of people receiving treatment varies by state, according to a report from mental health advocacy group Inseparable. The report, published in June, details the…
Federal lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to permanently remove requirements for Medicare beneficiaries receiving mental healthcare to visit their provider in-person every six months. Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, and Sens. Tina Smith, D.-Minn., and Bill Cassidy, MD,…
Advertisement
Evoke Wellness, a Miramar, Fla.-based substance use disorder clinic, will pay $1.9 million to settle allegations it used misleading advertising to bring in patients, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC alleged Evoke ran deceptive Google search ads impersonating…
Groups representing hospitals and nurses have split on how minimum staffing ratios for psychiatric hospitals in California should be implemented, the San Francisco Chronicle reported June 11. In April, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he planned to use emergency regulations…
San Francisco plans to convert the Behavioral Health Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital into a locked psychiatric facility for homeless individuals, the San Francisco Standard reported June 4. The conversion is part of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s broader plan…
Oregon has established the Behavioral Health Talent Council to offer new strategies to address the state’s behavioral health workforce crisis. The new council will develop a recommended workforce action plan by January 31, 2026, to expand on the recommendations of…
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has proposed a budget amendment that would allocate $4.3 million in state funds to enhance behavioral health services at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence. The funding would come alongside asking CMS for…