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Trends in Child and Adolescent Firearm Deaths

Over the past decade, nearly 22,000 youth ages 17 and younger died by firearm. This analysis examines the latest mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to explore the impacts of gun violence on children and adolescents, including changes in death rates over time and by demographics.

Also: The Impact of Gun Violence on Youth Mental Health and Well-Being

At the Three-Year Mark, Demand for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Continues to Grow

New Federal Guidelines for Alcohol Use Come as Alcohol Deaths Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Adolescents

Tracking Key Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration

Key CDC Data

Access and coverage

  • Mental Health Parity at a Crossroads

    More than 25 years after the first federal mental health parity protections were put in place, adequate coverage for behavioral health care remains elusive. This brief explains the federal behavioral health parity requirements and sets out key policy issues.

  • Section 1115 Waiver Watch: Contingency Management

    Of the 800,000 Medicaid enrollees aged 12 to 64 with a diagnosed stimulant use disorder in 2019, about 20% were in states that now have approved 1115 Medicaid waivers for contingency management services.

  • The Landscape of School-Based Mental Health Services

    In the 2024-2025 school year, 18% of students utilized school-based mental health services. This issue brief explores the landscape of mental health services, including services offered, utilization, barriers, and funding, as well as recent federal actions.

  • 5 Key Facts about Medicaid Coverage for Adults with Mental Illness

    Nationwide, an estimated 52 million nonelderly adults live with mental illness, and Medicaid covers nearly one in three (29%) of them, or about 15 million adults.

  • What Federal Medicaid Cuts Could Mean for the Opioid Epidemic

    Medicaid covers 47% of all nonelderly adults with OUD and is the primary coverage source among those receiving treatment services. This brief offers a look at what federal Medicaid spending cuts could mean for this population.

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  • News Release

    One Year After the Launch of 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline Has Received Nearly 5 Million Combined Calls, Texts, and Chats  

    News Release

    Since its launch in July 2022, the 988 national suicide and crisis hotline has received about 4 million contacts, a 33 percent increase from the year before, according to a new KFF analysis of publicly available data through May 2023. The contacts include more than 2.6 million calls, over 740,000 chats, and more than 600,000 texts. The total number of contacts rises to almost 5 million when nearly 1 million additional contacts from the Veterans…

  • KFF News Release

    New KFF Analysis Examines Rapidly Evolving Federal Policies For Substance Use Disorder Treatment for the Opioid Epidemic  

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds that 24 percent more buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder, was dispensed in 2022 than in 2019, the year before the pandemic brought a surge of opioid overdose deaths – and a focus on how to expand access and treatment. This upward trend in buprenorphine distribution, already in motion before the pandemic, continued throughout the COVID public health crisis, suggesting continued improvements in access to treatment even as…

  • Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Look at the Evolving Landscape of Federal OUD Treatment Policies

    Issue Brief

    Federal policies governing substance use disorder treatment have undergone rapid changes during the pandemic; however, the extent to which these changes can address the surge in opioid overdose deaths is unclear. Some of these policy adjustments are permanent, while others could revert to pre-pandemic regulations. In this brief, we examine the following 5 key federal policies and implications for access and treatment for OUD.

  • Rise in Use of Mental Health Apps Raises New Policy Issues

    Issue Brief

    Use of digital behavioral health services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person visits were limited. This brief examines how different types of mental health apps are used, how federal policies during the pandemic affected the scope of services they could provide, and key issues to watch.

  • KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance

    Poll Finding

    The survey finds nearly six in 10 people with health insurance experienced a problem using their insurance in the past year, with even larger shares reporting problems among people who are sick or who have mental health needs. It includes data for people with different types of coverage, including employer, Marketplace, Medicare and Medicaid, and also examines affordability issues and mental health access.

  • KFF News Release

    KFF Survey Shows Complexity, Red Tape, Denials, Confusion Rivals Affordability as a Problem for Insured Consumers, With Some Saying It Caused Them to Go Without or Delay Care

    News Release

    Most (58%) people with health insurance say they encountered at least one problem using their coverage in the past year, with even larger shares of people with the greatest health care needs reporting such problems, finds a new KFF survey of consumer experiences with health insurance. Such problems vary across types of insurance but include such things as denied claims for care they thought was covered, difficulty finding an in-network doctor or other provider, and…

  • KFF News Release

    Amid a Mental Health Crisis in the U.S., A New KFF Report Examines the Steps that State Medicaid Programs Are Taking to Help Shore Up the Availability of Crisis Services

    News Release

    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 connect individuals to trained counselors, mobile crisis units that provide in-person crisis support services, and crisis stabilization units that provide short-term observation and crisis stabilization…

  • Behavioral Health Crisis Response: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs

    Issue Brief

    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,…