Prescription Drugs & Other Medical Products

Recovery support services (RSS) are non-clinical services that assist individuals and families in attaining and sustaining recovery from substance use disorders.

People with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (SUDs) benefit from integrated treatment to address both disorders concurrently. For several decades, policymakers and behavioral health systems have worked to overcome the historical separation between mental health and SUD treatment to improve care for people with co-occurring disorders.

Health Information Technology (HIT) was identified as a critical component of the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration. To support the implementation of the Roadmap, an ASPE study was conducted to provide an overview of HIT adoption and utilization among behavioral health providers.

Insufficient access to behavioral health (BH) care and the inability to get timely care are significant problems in the United States. Concerns about BH network adequacy have been prompted by evidence of narrow networks for BH, variation in network adequacy across plans, and evidence that network adequacy impacts access to certain specialties.

Prescription drug prices are a top concern for policymakers and the public, but little data is available on prescription drug prices or other costs that contribute to premiums for commercial drug coverage.

In November 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Program; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly proposed rule.

The pipeline and commercial market for novel antimicrobial drugs is insufficient to address current and future patient needs or mitigate the loss of effective treatments as antimicrobial resistance spreads. The U.S. Government implements a range of efforts to ensure sustainable availability of antimicrobial treatments, supporting research, product development, and appropriate use.

This study of national retail pharmacy data from 2013 to 2022, found an overall increase in buprenorphine dispensed to women of reproductive age and a marked increase in fills that were prescribed by nurse practitioners/physician assistants.

The Inflation Reduction Act established a limit on out-of-pocket spending (“the 2024 cap”) for enrollees with very high prescription drug spending in Medicare Part D, for the first time in the history of the program.

Rare cancer clinical trials appear to enroll less diverse participants than clinical trials more broadly and therefore may require additional considerations or unique solutions to diversify participant recruitment. These differences persisted within both NIH and non-NIH funded trials.