The Kennedy Forum

Our latest blog explores what this shift means for policy, oversight, and mental health: bit.ly/40UOTNK.

As this landscape continues to shift, policymakers, regulators, and public health leaders face a narrowing window to address the risks before they become further entrenched.

The Kennedy Forum believes that online gambling has clear, negative effects on the mental health of the American people.

Medicaid is the largest payer of behavioral health services in the United States and covers a significant share of children and adolescents. Access to care and the ability to scale new approaches can differ widely across the country. Read more: bit.ly/4t6Woxh.

CAADPE's Trent Murphy showed support for AB 2011 today at the Assembly Health Committee. This bill locks federal mental health parity protections into California state law — ensuring insurers treat MH/SUD care equally to physical health care, regardless of what happens at the federal level. We proud to support @AsmGreggHart, @Steinberg_Inst, and @kennedyforum, as they aim to protect access to substance use disorder treatment for all Californians. #AB2011 #MentalHealthParity #SUD #CaliforniaHealth

What’s shaping youth mental health in 2026? According to the @jedfoundation, it’s not just one thing. It’s everything happening at once. Technology is evolving faster than the protections meant to keep young people safe. Read more: prn.to/47lhLSV.

At the @LNImpactForum, @PJK4brainhealth joined @NBCNews’ @tvkatesnow for a conversation on the most consequential issues facing mental health today and why leaders across business, technology, health care, and public policy must work together to move the field forward.

At the same time, adoption varies dramatically across states. Proven models exist to expand access to mental health care, but implementation and reimbursement policies play a critical role in determining who actually benefits. Read more: bit.ly/4b4Wxtq.

A new study highlights both progress and persistent gaps in mental health care delivery. Use of the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM), which integrates behavioral health services into primary care, has expanded rapidly in recent years.

States need to keep their eye on gold—parity standards, that is! To offer states guidance on implementing mental health & substance use disorder parity concepts, LAC has partnered w/ @kennedyforum—check out our series of briefs here: bit.ly/ParityGoldStan…

Thank you to @tvkatesnow for leading an important conversation on the issues shaping mental health today and highlighting why leaders across sectors must work together to move the field forward.

A recent survey shows widespread participation among people 21 and under, leading to higher addiction risks for younger populations who are already in the midst of a mental health crisis. The Kennedy Forum is working to address this challenge and give it the weight it deserves.

At the @LNImpactForum, @PJK4brainhealth helped raise awareness of a rising addiction issue coming for our youth - gambling.

A new @NBCNews report highlights lawsuits over “ghost networks,” raising concerns about transparency, network adequacy, and access to mental health services. Trust in coverage depends on accurate information and meaningful oversight. nbcnews.to/4kYcdU5

We are hiring! The Kennedy Forum is seeking an Operations and Administration Manager to join our fully remote team. Learn more about the role and find application instructions at thekennedyforum.org/about/careers/.

So grateful for Dr. Tedros and the spotlight on mental health at #Davos at the #WorldEconomicForum2026. The issue is global in scale, but personal to us all, as we saw through the stories in @PJK4brainhealth & @stephen_fried's book, Profiles in Mental Health Courage.

Healthcare costs are soaring — and fragmented care is helping to driving the crisis. Our Co-Founder @PJK4brainhealth shares in @thehill how integrated care saves lives and cuts costs: thehill.com/opinion/health…

The Mental Health Parity Index turns terabytes of insurer data into clear insights, giving payers, providers, advocates & lawmakers a shared dashboard for change. Learn about the tool's promise for parity progress: interknowlogy.com/blog/what-come… Thx to @InterKnowlogy for highlighting!

🧠 Mental health professionals bring vital frontline insights to advocacy & policy. We are so proud to serve as guest editors in a special issue of the @APA_Publishing journal FOCUS to address key topics via dynamic voices in MH/SUD. Read more: thekennedyforum.org/press-releases…

Our Co-Founder @PJK4brainhealth joined Tavis Smiley to talk about how systemic gaps affect how we see ourselves & others. "Mental health has never been included in the rest of health care, so everyone feels like it’s something that isn’t medical.” Listen: spreaker.com/episode/patric…