Today, the Obama Administration is expected to issue its long-anticipated and final regulations defining parity in mental health benefits and treatment. Only one major newspaper, the New York Times, has covered the story. The Times is also the only source pointing out how the Administration believes the new parity regulations to be essential to the President’s program to counteract gun violence, saying that better access to mental health treatment may help reduce shootings and mass murders.

In a 1,300-word article on its front page, the New York Times (11/8, A1, Calmes, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that today, the Obama Administration “will complete a generation-long effort to require insurers to cover care for mental health and addiction just like physical illnesses when it issues long-awaited regulations defining parity in benefits and treatment.” An unnamed senior official said, “Here we’re doing full parity, and we’ve also taken steps to extend it to the people covered in the Affordable Care Act.” What’s more, the White House, according to the Times, sees the regulations “as critical to President Obama’s program for curbing gun violence by addressing an issue on which there is bipartisan agreement: Making treatment more available to those with mental illness could reduce killings, including mass murders.”

Related Links:

— “Rules to Require Equal Coverage for Mental Ills, “Jackie Calmes, The New York Times, November 8, 2013.

Several media outlets are reporting on projections that the United States is likely to face a shortage of physicians in coming years, attributable in part to the Affordable Care Act.

Reuters (11/5, Seaman) reports on a study that indicates that the United States will need more physicians by 2025. The additional doctors will be needed to account for three factors: the US population overall is projected to grow 9.5% by 2025, the population is getting older, and the Affordable Care Act will increase the utilization of medical services. The report was published in the journal Health Affairs. The severity of the shortage will vary based on doctor specialty and part of the country.

Related Links:

— “Doctor demand will grow by up to a third by 2025 – study, “Andrew Seaman, Reuters, November 4, 2013.

Medscape (11/5, Anderson) reports that a newly-released draft recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) contends that there is currently not enough evidence to recommend routine dementia screening.

HealthDay (11/5) reports that “the guideline authors write that it’s unclear whether existing treatments have a significant effect on mild to moderate dementia.” Meanwhile, “a review of existing studies, treatments and diagnostic tools…found no medical proof that earlier detection of age-related brain decline helps improve decision-making about a patient’s future.”

Related Links:

— “Jury Still Out on Routine Mental Tests for Seniors, Panel Says, “Randy Dotinga, HealthDay, November 4, 2013.

USA Today (11/5, Zoroya, Hoyer) reports on its front page that, according to data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2013, the VA “failed to schedule a third of new mental health patient appointments within 14 days.” Delays to see a psychiatrist appear to last about three weeks on average, the article points out.

Related Links:

— “Many veterans face frustrating delays for mental health care, “Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, November 4, 2013.

The Wall Street Journal (11/5, Wang, Subscription Publication) reported that emotional-support animals (ESAs) are being used more often to help people with mental illnesses and conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and autism. Observational studies on the health benefits provided by such animals, primarily dogs, indicate they may be helpful, even if use of the animals is sometimes controversial in certain situations, such as at restaurants or in airplanes. Unlike guide dogs for the visually impaired, ESAs undergo no formal training, nor are there formal regulations governing their use. Often patients with ESAs rely on a physician’s note specifying how the animal helps the patient.

Related Links:

— “Rise in Pets as Therapy for Mental Conditions, “Shirley Wang, The Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2013.