AL Allows Off-Label Medical Treatment & U.S. Facing $478B in “Avoidable” Expenses from Mental Health Inequities

AL Enacts Bill Allowing Off-Label Medical Treatment

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a bill (SB 72)—passed unanimously by both legislative chambers—that bars the state’s Board of Medical Examiners and Medical Licensure Commission from taking adverse action against doctors for prescribing or recommending off-label medical treatments. The measure’s sponsor, Sen. Arthur Orr (R) said it “just allowed a doctor to do what they’re already doing without any fear of reprisal from the State Medical Board,” adding that there are often FDA-approved drugs that can help treat ailments they weren’t initially intended to treat. (ALABAMA REFLECTOR, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

U.S. Facing $478B in ‘Unnecessary’ Costs from Mental Health Inequities in 2024

Inequities in the delivery of mental health care will cost the country $478 billion in 2024 and could increase to $1.3 trillion by 2040 if unchecked, according to a report from Deloitte. The report, compiled by Deloitte’s Health Equity Institute and the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College, attributed most of those “avoidable and unnecessary expenses” to premature death and productivity loss that disproportionately impact certain populations. The analysis looked at differences in mental health outcomes among demographics segmented by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and age. (FIERCE HEALTH)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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