Federal News & Issues

Dec 12, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of the House passage today of H.R. 3, The Lower Drug Costs Now Act, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced its support for several provisions in the bill that benefit mental health care.

In addition to efforts that limit out-of-pocket costs for our patients, APA appreciates the House’s attention in H.R. 3 to additional investments to stem the opioid epidemic, fund Community Health Centers, increase resources devoted to the Precision Medicine Initiative and the BRAIN Initiative of the National Institutes of Health, boost financial support to help low income seniors afford their prescription drugs, and provide a modest two-year update for physicians’ services.

 “These provisions will help us address the opioid epidemic and fund important research that will...

Dec 11, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The supply of certified applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers is insufficient to meet the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in nearly every state, according to a study published online today in Psychiatric Services. The new study found there is substantial variation across states and regions—for instance, the per capita supply of certified ABA providers is substantially higher in the Northeast than in any other region.

The rising prevalence of ASD underscores the importance of access to evidence-based interventions such as ABA. An estimated one in 59 children had ASD in 2014, up from one in 125 a decade earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

ABA uses behavioral learning principles to help children with ASD increase positive behaviors and...