Mental Health

A year into the rollout of CalAIM, payment details are murky and obstacles remain in finding help for Medi-Cal recipients with mental health needs.

The Valencia lab, a public-private venture between the state and PerkinElmer, processed only 1 to 8% of all Californians’ COVID tests in the first 10 months of the contract. And the lab was riddled with dozens of problems, according to an inspection report.

1. California widens mental health conditions insurers must cover In the past, state law only required treatment for nine serious mental illnesses. Even before the pandemic, more than half of Californians said most people with mental health conditions couldn’t get the help they needed. Some families even dropped private insurance to qualify for treatment in […]

Humboldt County, tucked into the redwoods on the state’s far North Coast, also has a much higher suicide rate than most of California. The pandemic has fueled new concerns.

A bill that is expected to clear the Legislature this week would significantly expand what treatments are considered medically necessary for health insurance coverage.

It may be an agonizing decision — but the only way to get care their insurance won't cover.

California’s half-century-old involuntary mental health treatment law isn’t broken, but much of the system meant to serve those with serious mental illness is, state auditors concluded in a much-anticipated report released today. Some critics have called for rewriting state law to make it easier to force people into involuntary treatment, particularly by expanding the state’s […]

As COVID-19 cases surge in California, mental health experts describe both suffering and reason for hope at a virtual panel sponsored by CalMatters.

Efforts aim to dispatch mental health teams — not armed officers — for most crises calls involving mental illness and homelessness.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down, and the fear and anxiety of living during these unusual times is taking a toll on Californians’ mental health. Economic stress, living in self-isolation and continued physical distancing can be overwhelming, and it’s more important than ever to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves. CalMatters […]