Increased social isolation, stress, and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a rise in mental health issues and substance use disorders (SUD) in the U.S. The impact of the pandemic has been particularly concerning for kids, as KFF’s most recent COVID Vaccine Monitor reported that over half of parents say the pandemic has hurt their children’s mental health.

Government actions such as federal and state emergency declarations and the passage of legislation including The American Rescue Plan have sought to address these crises in the short-term. However, recognizing the need for long-term solutions, members of Congress from both parties and President Biden have indicated a desire to address the systemic issues surrounding mental health and substance use disorder care.

On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, a panel of experts joined series moderator Larry Levitt in a 45-minute discussion exploring the future of mental health policy, including continuing enforcement challenges related to mental health parity and potential policy actions that could help improve access to mental health and SUD care.

This was the second installment of KFF’s new virtual conversation series, The Health Wonk Shop. The series features conversations with experts, diving into timely health policy issues for a deeper discussion beyond the news headlines and taking questions from viewers over Zoom.

Moderator

• Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy, KFF

Panelists

• Angela Kimball, Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy at Inseparable
• Benjamin Miller, PsyD, President of Well Being Trust
• Brad Lerner, Director of Public Policy & Manager of Behavioral Health and Enterprise Issues at Anthem, Inc.
• Kaye Pestaina, Vice President at KFF