General Mental Health Issues
- According to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, around 14% of U.S. workers reported being diagnosed with depression, with rates being higher in certain industries or occupations, including healthcare. Read more here.
- The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of 17 state domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, arguing that restrictions the Trump administration has placed on grants are illegal and conflict with requirements laid out in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- A new study finds that addiction to social media, mobile phones, and video games is linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The study, published in JAMA, looked at data on more than 4,000 kids from an ongoing longitudinal study following them for years, starting at ages 9 to 10. It found that by age 14, about a third of the kids had become increasingly addicted to social media, about a quarter had become increasingly addicted to their mobile phone, and more than 40% showed signs of addiction to video games. Read more here.
Transgender Issues
- The Trump administration is ending specialized suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. While anyone in a mental health crisis can call or text 988 and be connected to a trained counselor, the line has specially trained counselors, often with similar life experiences, for high-risk groups like veterans and LGBTQ+ youth. Read more here.
- The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth in a ruling that’s likely to reverberate across the country. Most Republican-controlled states already have similar bans. Read more here.
Medicaid and the ACA
- President Donald Trump’s administration provided deportation officials with personal data -- including the immigration status -- on millions of Medicaid enrollees, a move that could make it easier to locate people as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. An internal memo and emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block the data transfer, citing legal and ethical concerns. Read more here.
- Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act: no Medicaid cuts. However what, exactly, would be a cut? Read more here.
- The Trump administration’s flagship budget package, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is advancing through Congress and is currently awaiting a vote in the Senate. The American Hospital Association (AHA) estimates that the passage of this legislation would result in a $50.4 billion reduction in federal Medicaid spending on rural hospitals over the next decade, as well as 1.8 million people in rural communities losing their Medicaid coverage. Read more here.
- A leading bipartisan mental health advocacy group launched a $1 million targeted TV and radio advertising campaign, calling on senators to protect Medicaid. The Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act proposes implementing deep cuts to Medicaid and imposing new restrictions on the program’s beneficiaries, like work requirements and more eligibility checks. Read more here.
- At AHIP's annual conference, the trade group told reporters they oppose the reconciliation bill moving through Congress because of the impacts it would have on Medicaid and the individual market. Read more here.
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