Traditionally, the U.S. health system has treated medical and behavioral health conditions separately, resulting in fragmented, costlier care and poorer outcomes for patients. On To the Point, Columbia University’s Harold Pincus and colleagues say that telehealth, integrated electronic health records, and digital tools for monitoring medication adherence can expand people’s access to care and improve clinician workflow.
With health care services accounting for an estimated 4.7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a number of countries have committed to creating sustainable, low-carbon health care systems. Brown University’s Emily Hough discusses the policies and tools that governments can use to encourage health systems to reduce their carbon footprint.
Roughly 46 million Americans live in rural areas, and many struggle to find affordable health care. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural Americans have higher rates of chronic disease and suicide, worse maternal health, and more limited access to care. On To the Point, the Commonwealth Fund’s Munira Z. Gunja discusses research based on the Fund’s 2020 International Health Policy Survey, which revealed deeper geography-based health disparities in the U.S. than in 10 other high-income countries.
Digital Technology and the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Amid a worsening mental health crisis, many young people can’t get the care they need. Ongoing mental health workforce shortages have exacerbated these challenges — especially for young people who rely on Medicaid. Experts from the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and the Commonwealth Fund explain how digital mental health technology can help address this crisis. They also discuss the regulatory, evidentiary, and reimbursement obstacles to its adoption.
Webinar on Strategies to Support Youth Mental Health
On July 27, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a Commonwealth Fund–supported webinar on strategies to bolster young people’s mental well-being. “Mind Check: Policies to Support Youth Mental Health” featured experts engaged in an informative discussion about the critical role of early intervention and treatment options and potential federal policies that could better support youth in crisis. The conversation was moderated by the Fund’s Reginald D. Williams II. View the archived webinar here.
Improving Care Access Through Higher Payment Rates
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed new rules that will strengthen states’ authority to require Medicaid managed care plans to increase provider payment rates. Research shows that higher payments for clinicians and hospitals can boost provider participation in Medicaid and improve patients’ access to care. Manatt Health’s Avi Herring, Cindy Mann, and Anne Karl explain that states are increasingly using their authority to set payment rates that at least match those of Medicaid fee-for-service or match average rates paid by commercial insurers.
Short-term health insurance products don’t offer the same consumer protections guaranteed in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, and they don’t typically come with the comprehensive benefits that ACA plans provide. Recently the Biden administration proposed new regulations to protect consumers from coverage that may leave them without affordable access to needed care. Experts from Georgetown University discuss how states can build on these regulations.
As part of an effort to track how communities are distributing opioid settlement money — now totaling more than $50 billion — KFF Health News reported this month that California’s Mendocino County is using a portion of its share to cover the recurring costs of employee health insurance and wage increases. A recent issue of Transforming Care described innovative strategies that states and counties are using to address the opioid crisis, including promoting access to on-demand treatment.
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