Mental Health

As the U.S. tries to address rising rates of mental health issues, the impact of the new 988 national crisis hotline and other innovations will be limited if states don’t have the underlying crisis services available when people are directed to them. The core crisis services include crisis hotlines that…

Crisis behavioral health services provide access to trained mental health professionals for individuals experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies–an alternative to emergency departments and law enforcement. About three-quarters of responding state Medicaid programs do not cover all three core crisis services for FFS adults, but most states cover at least one core behavioral health crisis service. As crisis response systems continue to grow and expand, states are navigating a variety of concerns—including workforce shortages, training needs, geographic challenges, and uncertainty about sustainable funding.

KFF surveyed state Medicaid officials about behavioral health policies related to administration, delivery systems, integrated care, and data analytics.

This brief describes the scope of mental health and substance use disorder benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, including extra benefits, cost sharing, and prior authorization and referral requirements, based on an analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage plan benefit and enrollment files for 2022.

The KFF/Washington Post Trans survey is the most in-depth representative survey of the life experiences of transgender adults in the U.S., including how they define themselves, their childhood experiences, their gender transitions, and the hostility and discrimination they face

A new KFF-Washington Post partnership survey provides a groundbreaking portrait of the diverse identities and experiences of transgender adults in the United States, including how they define themselves, childhood experiences, gender transitions, and the hostility and discrimination they face. The project is the most in-depth representative survey of the life…

This brief explores mental health and substance use during, and prior to, the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight populations that were more likely to experience worse mental health and substance use outcomes during the pandemic and discuss some innovations in the delivery of services.

This analysis and series of state fact sheets examine data looking at mental health and substance use disorder across states and capacity to meet residents’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young adults in the United States continue to be more likely than their older counterparts to be experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to the latest federal data analyzed by KFF researchers. The analysis of the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey finds that half (50%) of adults ages 18-24…

To better understand the variation in access to behavioral health services for adults in Medicaid, KFF surveyed state Medicaid officials about behavioral health benefits covered for adult enrollees in their fee-for-service programs.