Payer

Cigna Healthcare will manage a new behavioral health network for eligible current and former National Football League (NFL) players and their eligible dependents beginning Sept. 1. The NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) created the Behavioral Health Network as an…

Tulsa, Okla.-based Grand Mental Health, a certified community behavioral health clinic network, is rebuilding parts of its business model to reduce reliance on Medicaid as the program faces federal work requirements and state-level cost-cutting pressure.  About 80% of Grand’s revenue…

UnitedHealthcare expanded its child and family behavioral coaching program, giving approximately 13 million eligible commercial members access to behavioral health support.  The 2026 expansion adds access for an additional 5 million members at no added cost for employers with fully…

Five insurance companies now account for about half of the Medicaid managed care market, and adolescents enrolled in their plans often receive behavioral healthcare differently than those in other managed care organizations, according to a study published Aug. 5 in…

Cigna Healthcare is broadening its AI-enabled care management programs to reach more customers with emerging, complex and chronic health needs. The expanded approach is expected to support 20% more customers across areas including behavioral health, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease…

Nearly four years after the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched, states, payers and county systems still define behavioral health crisis care inconsistently, and Medicare offers limited coverage for community-based crisis stabilization services — leaving safety-net funding, Medicaid, federal block…

CMS’ Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions model launched July 5, testing whether paying organizations for outcomes — rather than specific services — can expand access to technology-supported chronic care. Behavioral health is one of four clinical tracks, alongside…

California’s first-in-the-nation initiative requiring health insurance companies to reimburse schools for on-campus behavioral healthcare services has struggled to meet expectations five years after its launch, with schools citing billing challenges, delayed payments and limited state support, according to a KFF…

At least five states have taken steps in 2026 to restrict new Medicaid behavioral health provider enrollments as stakeholders seek to curb fraud, waste and abuse while strengthening oversight of high-risk services.  The developments come as the Trump administration aims…

The Maryland Department of Health extended a temporary suspension on certain new Medicaid behavioral health provider enrollments amid efforts to address potential fraud, waste and abuse and ensure provider quality, according to a June 24 news release from the department.…