Mental Health

Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — High school senior Joshua Yang understands sacrifice. When he was midway through 10th grade, his mom survived a terrible car crash. But her body developed tremors, and she lost mobility. After countless appointments, doctors diagnosed her with Parkinson’s disease, saying it was likely triggered by brain injuries sustained in the wreck. […]

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3 Things to Watch on Mental Health in Trump’s Early Budget Proposals

3 Things to Watch on Mental Health in Trump’s Early Budget Proposals

Since President Donald Trump released his 2026 budget blueprint in early May, calling for $163 billion in federal spending cuts, much of the attention has focused on his slashing of foreign aid and boosting of border security. But the proposal also holds important clues — amid some mixed messages — about the administration’s approach to

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Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away

Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away

More Californians are talking to their therapists through a video screen or by phone than in person, marking a profound shift in how mental health care is delivered as record-setting numbers seek help. While patients and providers say teletherapy is effective and easier to get than in-person services, experts in the field noted that teletherapy

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Trump’s Fast-Tracked Deal for a Copper Mine Heightens Existential Fight for Apache

Trump’s Fast-Tracked Deal for a Copper Mine Heightens Existential Fight for Apache

OAK FLAT, Ariz. — Carrying eagle feathers and chanting prayers, Western Apache runners hit the road on a roughly 80-mile journey this month to try to save their sacred land from being fast-tracked by President Donald Trump into a copper mine. This nationally watched battle, which hinges on religious freedom, awaits the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. Trump Team’s Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Actions The recent KFF Health News article “Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump” (April 17) struck a nerve.

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Medicaid Payments Barely Keep Hospital Mental Health Units Afloat. Federal Cuts Could Sink Them.

Medicaid Payments Barely Keep Hospital Mental Health Units Afloat. Federal Cuts Could Sink Them.

SPENCER, Iowa — This town’s hospital is a holdout on behalf of people going through mental health crises. The facility’s leaders have pledged not to shutter their inpatient psychiatric unit, as dozens of other U.S. hospitals have. Keeping that promise could soon get tougher if Congress slashes Medicaid funding. The joint federal-state health program covers

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Trump Team Faces Key Legal Decision That Could Put Mental Health Parity in Peril

Trump Team Faces Key Legal Decision That Could Put Mental Health Parity in Peril

The Trump administration must soon make a decision that will affect millions of Americans’ ability to access and afford mental health and addiction care. The administration is facing a May 12 deadline to declare if it will defend Biden-era regulations that aim to enforce mental health parity — the idea that insurers must cover mental

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Montana Lawmakers Approve 4M To Revamp Behavioral Health System

Montana Lawmakers Approve $124M To Revamp Behavioral Health System

HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s frayed behavioral health care system, still recovering from the effects of past budget cuts, will get a shot in the arm after state lawmakers approved sweeping changes to upgrade and expand facilities, increase community services, and revise commitment procedures. Lawmakers backed the bulk of Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s multimillion-dollar vision to

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Covid Worsened Shortages of Doctors and Nurses. Five Years On, Rural Hospitals Still Struggle.

Covid Worsened Shortages of Doctors and Nurses. Five Years On, Rural Hospitals Still Struggle.

Even by rural hospital standards, Keokuk County Hospital and Clinics in southeastern Iowa is small. The 14-bed hospital, in Sigourney, doesn’t do surgeries or deliver babies. The small 24-hour emergency room is overseen by two full-time doctors. CEO Matt Ives wants to hire a third doctor, but he said finding physicians for a rural area

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California Halts Medical Parole, Sends Several Critically Ill Patients Back to Prison

California Halts Medical Parole, Sends Several Critically Ill Patients Back to Prison

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has halted a court-ordered medical parole program, opting instead to send its most incapacitated prisoners back to state lockups or release them early. The unilateral termination is drawing protests from attorneys representing prisoners and the author of the state’s medical parole legislation, who say it unnecessarily puts this vulnerable population at

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