BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit R01 applications to conduct rigorous, theory-driven research on the effects of recent legislative and regulatory changes, including the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, affecting insurance coverage for drug abuse treatment services. Research on the effects of health insurance parity legislation and changes in the Medicaid programs needed to enhance understanding of the implementation and consequences of legislative and policy initiatives. Specifically, these natural experiments provide an opportunity to study fundamental scientific questions about how variations in insurance coverage and benefit design affect access to, and the availability, costs, efficiency, quality and outcomes of, drug abuse treatment. Such research may also help inform how benefit packages for these disorders can be optimally designed.