Youth Mental Health
- About two million children and young adults – people 25 and under – live in Washington state, and for those needing mental health support and services, the state has, by most accounts, been doing a poor job. Only 52% of Washington youth and young adults on Medicaid who need mental health treatment receive it, according to the state. More than 2,500 young people experience their first episode of psychosis annually, yet 80% are unable to get specialized care. Read more here.
Research
- Since the launch of large language model (LLM) chatbots, use of this form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly, especially among adolescents and young adults. Concurrently, the U.S. is experiencing a youth mental health crisis. In the past year, 18% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years had a major depressive episode; 40% of these received no mental health care. It is unclear how many adolescents and young adults use LLM chatbots for advice or help when experiencing emotional distress. Read more here.
- Psychedelics have been the subject of considerable scientific research, policy action, and public interest for their potential in treating a variety of mental health and substance use conditions. Some take an expansive definition of the word psychedelic and refer widely to substances that can cause an intensely altered state of consciousness, including entactogens such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Others use the term psychedelic to refer more strictly to classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Read more here.
Health Insurance Subsidies
- Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said the Trump administration is holding “discussions” on extending subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “There are discussions around extending the subsidies, if we deal with the fraud, waste and abuse that, right now, is paralyzing the system,” Oz told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Read more here.
- The nation’s 20 state Obamacare exchanges appear poised to quickly update premiums if Congress passes a straightforward extension of enhanced subsidies when it votes on the matter next month. However, there’s another increasingly likely scenario that could catch them flat-footed. That’s if lawmakers decide to go a different route – for example, by paying the subsidies directly to consumers, a plan touted by President Donald Trump, or changing the eligibility rules by adding an income cap, which many conservatives would like to see. Read more here.
- Insurers and drug companies facing dire threats to their bottom lines this year from President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress had to make a choice: Stand and fight, or go to ground and cut some deals. Insurers fought in a bid to kill the threat; drugmakers cut deals to mitigate the damage. The early results are revealing. Read more here.
- House Republican leaders delivered a presentation to members slamming the enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire at the end of the year. It comes as members of both parties and chambers are rushing to develop, and pass, legislation to lower health care costs by Dec. 31, when the Obamacare subsidies will expire and premiums are set to go through the roof. Read more here.
- The Senate Finance Committee led a high stakes hearing Nov. 19 on the affordability crisis unfolding across the U.S. healthcare system. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle warned that Americans are facing staggering premium hikes, shrinking coverage options, and escalating out-of-pocket costs as Congress remains divided on how to respond. Read more here.
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has issued his alternative to enhanced Obamacare subsidies. His “More Affordable Care Act” enables Obamacare customers to use a “Trump Health Freedom Account” that resembles a health savings account. Read more here.
- The government shutdown has ended without resolving a fight over health insurance. Congress failed to extend enhanced tax credits that have helped millions of Americans on Affordable Care Act plans cover their plan costs since 2021. Senate Republicans have promised a vote on the enhanced subsidies before the end of the year. However, open enrollment for these plans is already underway and consumers are facing sky-high prices and little certainty about whether they'll get relief. Read more here.
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