Will Availability of Over-the-Counter Narcan Increase Access? September 19, 2023 Blog Making Narcan available OTC has the potential to expand access, but several obstacles may limit its reach. Decisions by pharmacies on whether to stock OTC Narcan, the product’s placement within stores, and lingering stigmas can impact accessibility. Furthermore, public knowledge plays a role; many people may not realize that OTC Narcan is available without a prescription from a doctor and that insurance may help cover the costs.
Proposed Mental Health Parity Rule Signals New Focus on Outcome Data as Tool to Assess Compliance September 29, 2023 Issue Brief Proposed updates to federal mental health parity rules would make wide ranging changes to current standards that apply to private insurance and coverage provided by most employers. This issue brief focuses on one aspect of the new proposal—a requirement that plans perform an “outcome analysis” before they can place certain restrictions on behavioral health coverage. This would require that plans evaluate specific data to determine the impact of certain restrictions on behavioral health access, such as prior authorization rules or limited provider network access. The use of data analysis as an oversight tool would be new for federal insurance regulators. The brief discusses this new proposed tool and the key policy questions that it triggers.