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Making Narcan available OTC has the potential to expand access, but several obstacles may limit its reach. Decisions by pharmacies on whether to stock OTC Narcan, the product’s placement within stores, and lingering stigmas can impact accessibility. Furthermore, public knowledge plays a role; many people may not realize that OTC Narcan is available without a prescription from a doctor and that insurance may help cover the costs.

Proposed updates to federal mental health parity rules would make wide ranging changes to current standards that apply to private insurance and coverage provided by most employers. This issue brief focuses on one aspect of the new proposal—a requirement that plans perform an “outcome analysis” before they can place certain restrictions on behavioral health coverage. This would require that plans evaluate specific data to determine the impact of certain restrictions on behavioral health access, such as prior authorization rules or limited provider network access. The use of data analysis as an oversight tool would be new for federal insurance regulators. The brief discusses this new proposed tool and the key policy questions that it triggers.

This brief analyzes data from the 2023 KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance to get a current understanding of how Medicare is working for older adults and younger people with disabilities. The analysis shows that people with Medicare who are under 65 with disabilities experience more problems using their Medicare coverage, including access and cost-related problems, than beneficiaries who are 65 and older.

Selam Nicola is an Investment Associate for KFF. She supports the Chief Investment Officer with asset allocation, investment strategy, portfolio construction, and risk management for KFF’s portfolio. Prior to joining KFF in 2022, she was a Research Associate for Franklin Templeton’s Global Macro team, where she conducted in-depth macroeconomic analysis…

Dean Duchak is the Chief Investment Officer for KFF. He is responsible for asset allocation, investment strategy, portfolio construction, and risk management for KFF’s portfolio. Prior to joining KFF in 2011, he worked for JP Morgan in both the Investment Bank and Asset Management divisions. Duchak received a bachelor’s degree…