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Three years after the Sandy Hook mass shooting prompted public demands for mental health care reform, an increasing number of states have cut funding for mental health services, according to a report released Tuesday by a mental health advocacy group. The report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness said only 23 states increased mental health spending in 2015, compared to 36 states in 2013 and 29 in 2014. (Sun, 12/8)

Connecticut is one of 11 states that have increased funding for mental health care every year since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to a new national report. The report released Tuesday also lauds the state for passing legislation that clarifies individual health plans must cover "nervous conditions" and school-based health programs include screening for behavioral or disciplinary problems. (Haigh, 12/6)

New methods of paying for health care, designed to improve care while controlling costs, have failed to help a big segment of the population — those grappling with mental illness — a Harvard Medical School study says. Published Monday in the journal Health Affairs, it said the Alternative Quality Contract, a payment system run by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, is not improving care or saving money for the mentally ill. (Dayal McCluksey, 12/8)