Charting the Course of Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health, and Aging in America
By Mike O’Donnell, Chair, National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging When I started doing research on this topic, the media was buzzing with doomsday scenarios about how artificial intelligence would wipe out humanity. At the same time, I was reading “The Hardest, Longest Race” by Erick Moskowitz, a non-fiction account of a 1909 cross-country […]
Update on Responses to DOJ Memo on the Olmstead Decision
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a memorandum on June 18, 2026 https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1446701/dl on how the federal government intends to approach community integration for people with disabilities. This NCMHA blog provides an update on responses from states and national organizations. The Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) Supreme Court decision is […]
NCMHA Statement on the Potential Impact of the Department of Justice Olmstead Memorandum on the Community Integration of Individuals with Disabilities
On June 18, 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a memorandum https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1446701/dl on how the federal government intends to approach community integration for people with disabilities. What is Olmstead? In June 1999, the Supreme Court announced a decision in Olmstead v. L.C. and said that people with disabilities […]
The 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: What Mental Health Beneficiaries and Older Adults Need to Know
Understanding How CMS Payment Reforms Will Affect Mental Health Access, Quality, and Service Delivery for America’s Seniors Joel E. Miller, Treasurer and Past Chair, National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging Key Provisions in the 2027 PFS On July 14, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Physician […]
Medicaid Work Requirements and Behavioral Health Providers: Navigating Implementation Challenges and Protecting Client Access
Understanding CMS Rules, Medical Frailty Exemptions, and Advocacy Strategies Joel E. Miller, Treasurer and Past Chair, National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging ____________________________________________________________________________________ KEY PROVISIONS OF THE MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENTS RULE ____________________________________________________________________________________ On June 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule implementing Medicaid work requirements (also […]
Behavioral Health Policy Trends for 2026: What It Means for Older Adults
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 […]
Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions in 2025:What It Means for Older Adults
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 […]
Understanding the “One Big Beautiful Bill”: How Major Policy Changes Affect Older Adults
Joel E. MillerPast ChairNational Coalition on Mental Health and Aging July 2025 Executive Summary: Health Provisions of HR 1 — The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) makes significant changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and other healthcare provisions, with a focus on cost containment, program […]
Advocacy Letter Template
The NCMHA Executive Committee has created this template advocacy letter that you are encouraged to use for communication with your federal elected officials. This letter focuses on proposed federal funding cuts and other changes to programs and services for older adults with mental health conditions. Please use this template letter to contact your elected officials in […]
Certainty in Uncertain Times
By Mike O’DonnellNCMHA Executive Committee Member In these uncertain times, I count on those things I am certain about: As a believer, I am certain that God is present in the world and in my life. As a husband and father, I know my family’s love and my love for them. As a volunteer with […]