April 30, 2009

Write Your Senator Today in Support of the Mental Health Block Grant

The Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) has lost 50% of its purchasing power since 1983.  In fact, the program has not received any additional federal funds in almost a decade and the severe economic crisis unfolding around the nation is imposing an unprecedented strain on the public mental health safety net.  Due to this, the National Council strongly supports a $100 million increase in funding to the MHBG.  This requested increase would bring its total funding to $520.7 million. 

Senator Debbie Stabenow is leading an effort in the Senate to increase funding for the Mental Health Services Block Grant by at least $100 million in FY2010.  The Senator is circulating a Dear Colleague Letter asking for signatures on a letter she intends to send to Senators Harkin and Specter, the chair and ranking member of the Labor-HHS subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  The deadline for Senators to sign onto the letter is this Friday, May 1, so write your Senators today urging them to help support this important initiative.

National Council Co-Sponsors National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day; Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act Reintroduced

In an effort to bring more attention to the mental health needs of children, the National Council is a proud co-sponsor of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day), to be held on Thursday May 7th.  Awareness Day is a day for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the initiatives and communities it supports to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families.

On May 7th a special legislative briefing features Academy award-winning actress and children's mental health advocate, Goldie Hawn and director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services, A. Kathryn Power. This is a breakfast briefing from 8:30 - 9:45 am at the Rayburn Office Building, Room 2168. Act Now! Contact your House and Senate representatives today and urge them to attend this important breakfast briefing in honor of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.  Your calls, emails, and contact with Congressional offices will greatly impact turnout for the breakfast briefing

In related news, Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) reintroduced the Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act of 2009 (HR 1932) on April 2 after which it was referred to the appropriate committees in the House.  The Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act was first introduced in the Senate in 2004 and has been introduced in both chambers since 2005.  Section 3 of the legislation amends Part E of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act and is intended to help end the national shortage of children's mental health professionals, including school-based mental health professionals, by encouraging more individuals to enter the field.  The bill includes a number of financial and educational incentives designed to help end the workforce shortage, including federal support for scholarships, loan repayment programs, clinical training grants, and specialty training programs. The National Council supports HR 1932 and would like to thank Representative Kennedy for being a champion on this issue.

Senate Finance Committee Hosts First in Series of Healthcare Reform Discussions; National Council Signs onto Letter of Principles for Healthcare Reform

The Senate Finance Committee held their first of three round table discussion on healthcare reform last week.  The first meeting focused on improving the quality and efficiency of care while lowering the cost of healthcare.  As the Finance Committee begins to consider healthcare reform legislation, they will hold two more round table discussions in May which will be open to the public and broadcast on the Committee’s website www.finance.senate.gov.  The topics to be covered in May include increasing access to healthcare and financing public healthcare reform.  To learn more about the round table discussions read the Committee's press release.

The National Council continues to be part of the healthcare reform discussion by signing onto a letter by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD): "Principles for Healthcare Reform from a Disability Perspective."  The principles outlined by the CCD include non-discrimination, comprehensiveness, continuity of care throughout one's life, appropriateness based on individual need preference and choice, equity healthcare coverage without being burdened with a disproportionate cost and efficiency in healthcare service with a minimum of administrative waste.  The letter was signed by over 60 different organizations.  The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations, including the National Council, working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.

National Council Releases Healthcare Homes Paper

Person-centered healthcare homes are critical to address significant health disparities for people with serious mental illnesses.  In support of this idea, the National Council released a new report, Behavioral Health/Primary Care Integration and the Person-Centered Healthcare Home, which calls for creating a medical home for people with serious mental illnesses by introducing general healthcare capacity within mental health organizations, or by nurturing seamless partnerships between mental health and primary care providers.
 
The National Council report describes a person-centered healthcare home as one that is equipped to care for the whole patient and manage multiple, interrelated and chronic health problems. The healthcare home offers preventive screening and health services, acute primary care, behavioral health, management of chronic health conditions, and end of life care. These services are supported by access to lab and x-ray facilities, medical/surgical specialties and hospital care. A team of primary and behavioral health specialists coordinates care management to reduce fragmentation, prevent avoidable conditions, and promote patient independence and self-care.

The release of this paper follows the most recent issue of National Council Magazine on behavioral health and primary care collaboration.

Reserve Your Hotel Room For Hill Day Now!

The National Council is excited by the interest in our Fifth Annual Hill Day June 9-10.  Although our room block at the Washington Court Hotel is now sold out, we have reserved an additional discounted room block at the Liaison Hotel, located right across the street from the Washington Court Hotel.  Rooms can be reserved for only $269/night by calling 866-233-4642 and using group code NATCO.

Already made your hotel reservations?  Don’t forget to register for Hill Day online.  And remember to call your Members of Congress today to make an appointment for June 10th.

Public Comments Now Being Accepted for Parity

The National Council would like to announce that the official request for information (RFI) has been released for the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury.  The departments are requesting public comments in advance of future rule making; all comments must be submitted on or before May 28, 2009. The National Council will be drafting comments in response to the RFI that agencies can use as a template for their own comments. These draft comments will be released shortly.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act passed as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act by Congress on September 30, 2008.  Under the law, if mental health and addiction services are offered, the parity law prohibits limitations on the frequency of treatment, number of visits or days of coverage, or other similar limits on the duration or scope of treatment under the plan that are more restrictive than those offered under the medical-surgical benefit. The parity legislation was a key element of the National Council's legislative priorities last year.  For more information on parity, view the National Council's Parity webpage and factsheet.

Congress Passes FY2010 Budget; President Obama to Release Detailed Budget Plan by May 5

Both the House and Senate passed the FY10 budget (S CON RES 13) on April 29.  Representatives and Senators held informal discussions to begin working out the differences between their versions of the budget passed earlier this month. The House and Senate officially named their conference appointees at the end of last week and the conference report was released on Monday.  The final resolution includes reconciliation language for healthcare reform which had been one of the biggest sticking points between the House and the Senate.  If Congress decides to use the reconciliation language, it would prevent a filibuster in the Senate on healthcare reform.  The next step of the budget process will be for President Obama to release his detailed budget plan which is expected to occur by May 5.  After the President releases his budget, the House and Senate committees will begin to consider appropriation bills for FY10. 

Sign up to receive action alerts from the National Council to learn when your voice can make a difference.  To get the latest information on the budget go to the National Council's Federal Budget webpage.

Sebelius Sworn in as HHS Secretary

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was confirmed as the Secretary for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday April 28 after several hours of debate by Senators.  She was then sworn in as HHS Secretary with the immediate job of helping the Obama Administration deal with the outbreak of swine flu affecting over 50 people in the United States and resulting in one death so far.

Sebelius has a strong background in healthcare and healthcare reform.  She worked on expanding the coverage of health insurance in Kansas as governor and has a strong understanding of Medicaid after working as the Kansas state insurance commissioner.  Several Republicans have commended her ability to work across the aisle on healthcare reform which will be a needed asset as President Obama works on his healthcare reform agenda.  The Obama Administration still has 18 other top HHS positions to fill including Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Recently Released Resources from the National Council

The National Council's website is frequently updated with issue briefs, letters, and other materials of interest to members. Please take notice of these recent updates:

The National Council has put together a multitude of informational resources for people applying for the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration RFA from SAMHSA.  Members can access the materials via our Members Only section of the website.

The National Council just released three fact sheets on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

• Medicaid
• Health Information Technology
• Other Key Provisions

The National Council just released a chart comparing the Omnibus Budget Bill introduced in the House with the FY08 budget and the FY09 budget released by former President Bush.

The National Council recently released a summary of the SCHIP Bill.

The National Council recently released a fact sheet on the Final Rule for the Federal Cost Sharing Rules. The rule gives states broader authority to charge premiums and higher co-payments for Medicaid.

The National Council recently created a power point presentation on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. The presentation covers the 1996 Parity Law, the history of the 2008 Act and the main points of the Act.

The National Council recently released a resource guide, Veterans on the Road Home”, which equips you to reach out and to effectively serve Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. The book describes the physical, mental, economic, and social effects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It presents detailed case studies of treatment organizations and associations with special expertise in and commitment to serving veterans and their families.

At the end of October, the National Council released a series of fact sheets on the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005:

-Overview of the DRA

-Expanded Medicaid Coverage Under the DRA

-Medicaid Services for Children Under the DRA

-State Implementation of the DRA

Meaningful Employment for Individuals with Mental Illness, a backgrounder from the National Council, provides information on the current employment status of individuals with mental illness, opportunities for career development, and federal initiatives to improve the chances of individuals with mental illness obtaining and keeping jobs.

The National Council recently released a fact sheet on the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 which provides a detailed explanation of the impact of this bill.

Please contact Chuck Ingoglia, Vice President, Public Policy, with federal policy questions.

The Public Policy Update is a weekly e-newsletter published by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. Managing Editor - Christina Hammond. Vice President, Public Policy - Chuck Ingoglia. Director of State Policy - Chris Loftis. Director of Public Policy - Alexa Eggleston. Director of Policy and Advocacy - Laura Galbreath.