Access to Medications

MHA envisions a society in which all people in need have access to the full array of high quality, community-based, culturally and linguistically competent, integrated mental health and substance abuse services, regardless of ability to pay. For many mental health consumers, access to the full range of the most effective medications is a crucial component of successful treatment and recovery. Such medically necessary psychotropic medications, and their combination with other services and supports, are often essential to permit people with mental health and substance use conditions to recover and to lead healthy and productive lives in their communities.

Access to Medications Toolkit

The Access to Medications Toolkit can help you advocate for broader and more affordable access to medications and other treatments.  Please follow the links below to view and download:

• Issue Brief: Access to Medications
• Fact Sheet: Access to Medications
• Talking Points: Restrictive Formularies and Preferred Drug Lists
• Talking Points: Medicaid Co-Payments
• Press Release: Restrictive Formularies
• Press Release: Medicaid Co-Payments

Access to Medications Webinar

Mental Health America hosted a webinar on Access to Medications, featuring Susan Crain Lewis of the MHA of the Heartland and Barb Johnston of the MHA of New Jersey. The webinar focuses on the barriers to accessing appropriate medications for individuals with mental health conditions, and describes ways of using MHA's access to medications toolkit for effective advocacy. You may click here to access the recording: Access to Medications.  When you click on this link, you will be asked to register some basic information, after which you'll receive an automatically generated email with instructions for accessing the presentation. That email will come from the account of Sarah Steverman and may take up to 10 minutes to appear in your inbox.  

You can download the powerpoint here.

Additional resources on Access to Medications

• MHA Position Statement on Access to Medications
• Joint Statement on Therapeutic Substitution (PDF)
• Joint Statement on Appropriate Utilization Management Approaches (PDF)
• Joint Statement on Medication Cost Sharing in State Medicaid Programs (PDF)
• Joint Statement on Study Evaluating Georgia's Prior Authorization Program (PDF)