Reuters (9/9, Niasse) reports, “The Biden Administration said on Monday it had finalized a regulation to help ensure that the 175 million Americans with private health insurance have access to affordable mental health services.” The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act “requires insurers and corporate-backed health plans to provide access and payment structures for mental health care services on par with other medical services.” But, “in practice, that is often not the case.” The final rule “is aimed at closing the gaps by requiring health insurers to evaluate which mental health [professionals’]services are covered by their plans, how much those [professionals] are paid, as well as…how often they require or deny prior authorizations for coverage.”

CNN (9/9, Hassan , Gumbrecht ) reports, “Most provisions in the rule will apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers for plan years starting January 1 or after.” Under the “rule, mental health and substance use disorder care on private insurance plans should be covered at the same level as physical health benefits.” That could mean “adding more mental health and substance use professionals to their networks or reducing red tape for [professionals] to deliver care,” a White House fact sheet said.

The Hill (9/9, Weixel ) reports, “The health insurance industry is likely to challenge the rule, saying the administration did not have the authority to issue it to begin with.” The industry “argued the proposed requirements were unworkable and an unfunded government mandate that would cause employers to stop covering behavioral health services.”

Modern Healthcare (9/9, Early , Subscription Publication) reports, “The regulation also extends mental health parity requirements to state and municipal employee benefits programs, which had been exempt under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 1996, and to individual market health insurance policies.” American Psychiatric Association CEO and Medical Director Marketa Wills, MD, said, “This is a big step forward to hold insurance plans accountable by ensuring the law’s intent is fulfilled and that more individuals will be able to access the mental health and substance use treatment they need.”

Psychiatric News (9/9) reports Wills also said, “APA has always been a strong advocate for mental health parity, and since its enactment, APA has worked tirelessly to advocate for compliance with and enforcement of the federal parity law.”

Related Links:

— “Biden administration finalizes rule to strengthen mental health parity law,”Amina Niasse , Reuters, September 9, 2024

Psychiatric News (9/6) reported, “Along with aripiprazole and risperidone, olanzapine and perphenazine should be considered first-line antipsychotics for patients with schizophrenia, according to a clinical perspective.” According to Psychiatric News, “given its demonstrated effects on hostility, the researchers believe olanzapine is a preferred first-line choice for patients for whom aggression may be a concern, with clozapine as a second-line medication.” The perspective was published in Schizophrenia.

Related Links:

— “Researchers Propose Olanzapine and Perphenazine as First-Line Schizophrenia Treatments, Psychiatric News, September 6, 2024

HealthDay (9/5, Thompson ) reports “ketamine is becoming a popular depression drug, but” physicians are not “keeping in mind the danger it can pose to a pregnancy, a new study warns.” Ketamine may “be very harmful to a developing fetus and should not be used during pregnancy, researchers said.” However, “only 20% of ketamine clinics require a pregnancy test at least once prior to or during treatment, according to” study results. Additionally, “only 26% of clinics discuss the potential need for contraception with” patients using ketamine, “and fewer than 15% specifically recommend or require contraception use during ketamine treatment, researchers found.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Ketamine Can Fight Depression, But Pregnant Women Face Risks,”
Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, September 5, 2024

Psychiatric News (9/5) reports, “About 4% of individuals with a neuropsychiatric disorder had a serious adverse event – including worsening depression, suicidal behavior, psychosis, or convulsions – after being given a ‘classic’ psychedelic as part of a research study, according to a meta-analysis that spanned some 75 years.” The research “identified no such adverse events among healthy participants; at the same time, tracking of such events should be improved, the study researchers wrote.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Study Finds Roughly 4% Of Individuals With Neuropsychiatric Disorder Have Serious Adverse Event After Being Given Psychedelic As Part Of Research, Psychiatric News , September 5, 2024

Healio (9/5, Mahoney) reports, “High-dose psilocybin showed the potential to treat depressive symptoms, although the effect size appeared small and comparable to that of escitalopram, according to results of a network meta-analysis.” The researchers “performed a sensitivity analysis that included only patients with major depressive disorder and found that the relative effects of escitalopram, ayahuasca and high-dose psilocybin had better responses than placebo in antidepressant trials.” The findings were published in The BMJ.

Related Links:

— “High-dose psilocybin may help treat depressive symptoms, with small effect size,”Moira Mahoney, Healio, September 5, 2024