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The adolescent years are a time of significant physical, emotional, and behavioral development for young people, making them especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of untreated mental health and substance use disorders. Co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (also known as dual diagnosis) are becoming an increasingly prevalent issue among adolescents and leave families … Read more

Active duty, National Guard, and retired service members—as well as their families and survivors—deserve the best access to healthcare. Many receive their benefits through TRICARE, a Department of Defense healthcare program. If an individual doesn’t qualify for TRICARE, they may be able to get health insurance through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the … Read more

Medicare is a valuable benefit for Medicaid members and states. It is a source of expanded benefits and coverage for qualifying Medicaid beneficiaries and the largest single source of Third Party Liability (TPL) savings for states. Medicaid members may not understand the difference between Medicaid and Medicare, or how the programs can work together. The … Read more

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year,1 and this number is exacerbated in our country’s jails and prisons, where about 44 percent of people in jails and 37 percent of those in state or federal prisons have been diagnosed with a mental illness,2 compared to about … Read more

Approximately one in four Americans have a disability.1 When someone is hurt or disabled and unable to work, they need an objective evaluation of their level of injury or disability to confirm their eligibility for appropriate financial, and sometimes vocational, support. Disability services administered by states and retirement plans may help provide disability applicants with … Read more

In late 2023, I became Executive Director of the Massachusetts Nursing Council for Workforce Sustainability. With over a decade of nursing operations experience, the Nursing Council was very much a new endeavor for me. Nevertheless, I embraced the challenge, moved by the desire to make a difference in the nursing profession and help other nurses … Read more

The past few years have been tumultuous for the healthcare system and have caused more uncertainty and even fear among Americans relying on federal and state benefits. Unfortunately, many older Americans may not be taking advantage of all the sources of healthcare coverage available to them. Medicaid members aged 65 and older may not have … Read more

In recent years, the Affordable Care Act and COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Medicaid protections have expanded health insurance for millions of Americans, and many state Medicaid programs have experienced significant growth. While expanding Medicaid coverage has resulted in better healthcare for many, there may be health insurance benefits that Medicaid members are missing out … Read more