Kaiser Health News (7/28, Dembosky) reports that some 43 million people in the US “suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions,” according to data from the Federal government, but more than 50 percent of those “who felt like they needed help last year, never got it.” Even those with insurance “complained of barriers to care.” The article says the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act and the Affordable Care Act were supposed to address this problem. Under the laws, insurers must provide comparable benefits for mental health and physical health conditions. Yet, “advocates say insurance companies are still finding ways to keep people who need care from getting it.”

Related Links:

— “Single Mom’s Search For Therapist Foiled By Insurance Companies,” April Dembosky, Kaiser Health News, July 28, 2016.

Modern Healthcare (7/28, Dickson, Subscription Publication) reports inpatient psychiatric facilities will see a 2.2 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement, a “$100 million raise” that exceeds the 1.5 percent or $80 million increase they received this year. According the most recent federal data available, Medicare payments to inpatient psychiatric facilities were estimated to be $4.4 billion in 2012, up from $3.9 billion in 2008. Facilities should expect an increase in Medicaid payments in 2017 “now that a 50-year ban on mental health institutions was successfully repealed earlier this year.”

Related Links:

— “Psych facilities get $100 million Medicare raise next year,” Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare, July 28, 2016.

MedPage Today (7/28, Fiore) reports, “Intense vascular risk management failed to prevent dementia,” investigators found. The findings of the 3,526-patient study were simultaneously presented at the Alzheimer’s Association Annual Conference and published online July 26 in The Lancet.

Related Links:

— “No Dementia Prevention With Vascular Care,” Kristina Fiore , MedPage Today, July 28, 2016.

USA Today (7/27, Weintraub) reports several new studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto confirmed that “living a healthy, non-smoking, socially active and interesting life remains the best way to prevent dementia.” Moreover, research shows there are currently no “medications that can prevent the fatal disease, or extend the lives of the more than 5 million Americans currently suffering from Alzheimer’s.”

Related Links:

— “Best way to combat Alzheimer’s is a healthy lifestyle, studies show,” Karen Weintraub, USA Today, July 28, 2016.

The Guardian (UK) (7/27, Boseley) reports, “People living in affluent countries are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than those in poorer nations,” researchers found. The large study revealed that “Canada has the highest levels of PTSD, followed by the Netherlands, Australia, the US and New Zealand,” while “the lowest levels were found in Nigeria, China and Romania.” The findings were published in the July issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “PTSD more likely to affect people in affluent countries, scientists say,” Sarah Boseley, The Guardian, July 27, 2016.