Mental Health
New and noteworthy
A Look at 1115 Waiver Evaluations for Medicaid Payments to Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) for Substance Use Disorder
As of April 2026, 38 states (including DC) had approved Medicaid Section 1115 waivers to cover short-term residential and inpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD).
Early evaluations in 6 states show increases in residential and inpatient SUD treatment, growth in community-based care, and declines in SUD-related emergency department use.
Early evaluations in 6 states show increases in residential and inpatient SUD treatment, growth in community-based care, and declines in SUD-related emergency department use.
Key CDC Data
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Opioid Deaths: National, State and Demographic Trends
Opioid overdose deaths fell sharply from 2023 to 2024, driven largely by decreases in fentanyl-involved deaths.
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Suicide Deaths: National, State and Demographic Trends
Overall suicide deaths fell slightly from their peak, but firearm suicides reached their highest level and accounted for 57% of all suicides.
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Alcohol Deaths: National, State and Demographic Trends
Alcohol deaths increased gradually before the pandemic, jumped in 2020 and 2021, and have fallen somewhat since then.
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.Medicaid Mental Health and Substance Use: Expansion Trends and the Fiscal Pressure Ahead
Behavioral health was the most frequently expanded Medicaid benefit over the past decade, with states adding crisis services, community-based care, peer supports, and substance use disorder treatment.
