Month: February 2026

Behavioral Health Policy Trends for 2026: What It Means for Older Adults

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Older Americans with mental health conditions face extraordinary policy turbulence characterized by substantial federal budget cuts, fundamental restructuring of key agencies, and widening state-by-state differences in behavioral health approaches. The landscape includes nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid reductions, the end of enhanced marketplace subsidies affecting millions of Americans, and a hollowed-out SAMHSA with half its … Read more

Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions in 2025:What It Means for Older Adults

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Over 61 million U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2024 (latest data available), with persistently high rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, gun violence, and drug overdose deaths. While the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing mental health and substance use crises, access barriers remain significant—43% of insured adults with fair or poor mental health reported unmet needs … Read more