Policy Analysis

Some states require insurance companies to use “generally accepted standards of care” — evidence-based criteria that are created and endorsed by behavioral health experts and associations.

Find summaries and tracking lists for the mental health bills we're watching in 2026.

In this report, we present recommendations with broad support from a variety of justice system stakeholders about ways to divert people with mental health and substance use conditions away from jails and into treatment.

Allied mental health professionals are an essential part of Oklahoma’s behavioral health workforce. But low wages and restrictive certification requirements can make it difficult for communities to recruit and retain these workers, and drifting responsibilities often do not reflect their training and expertise.

To chart a course forward on CCBHCs, the state must protect access to care while building a foundation of adequate governance to ensure high-quality, sustainable services.

With a successful application, Oklahoma could receive at least $500 million through the new Rural Health Transformation Fund. We outline how Oklahoma should prioritize the funding, including initiatives for rural workforce development and integrated behavioral health care.

These are the interim studies we're tracking at Healthy Minds.

The "One Big, Beautiful Bill" is expected to have several major impacts on Oklahoma and the more than 1 million Oklahomans enrolled in Medicaid.

Mental health was a central issue for much of the Oklahoma Legislature’s 2025 session, with months of concern over the state mental health department’s finances culminating in the unprecedented removal of the agency's commissioner.

Over the past five years, Oklahoma has received nearly $750 million in funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the primary federal agency charged with advancing the nation’s behavioral health.