Policy Issues & Resources: Healthcare Reform
Community behavioral health organizations provide care to many individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders who are uninsured, many of whom are well below the poverty level. Approximately 22% of adults with mental illness and/or substance use disorders are uninsured. In addition, about 30% of individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders lack any insurance. In addition, one in three uninsured adults with mental illness and/or substance use disorders is under 100% of the federal poverty line.
Given data suggesting that individuals with mental illness die 25 years younger than the general population, the National Council supports healthcare reform initiatives that are inclusive of individuals with mental illness and addictions.
In March of 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Known as national healthcare reform, the new law includes many provisions that will impact community mental health and addictions treatment providers. Through our website and our healthcare reform blog, the National Council will keep you updated on news and resources relevant to the rollout of national healthcare reform over the coming years.
Recent News I Official Letters & Comments I Fact Sheets & Issue Briefs I Summaries & Timelines I State Activities I Healthcare Reform Webinars | Additional Resources
Please visit the National Council’s healthcare reform blog to access other resources about the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act and its impact on mental health and addiction services!
Recent News
- National Council Seeks Feedback on Developing Relationships with ACOs
- Report Offers Guidance on Bridging the Health Insurance Enrollment Gap
- New Resources Available for States, Advocates on Medicaid Expansion
- National Organizations Urge HHS to Include All Psychiatric Medications in Essential Health Benefits
Official Letters & Comments
- Comments to HHS in response to its proposed approach to establishing Essential Benefits (January 2012)
- Comments to HHS recommending what components should make up the Essential Benefits package (August 2011)
- Coalition for Whole Health recommendations to HHS on the Essential Benefits package
- Letter to President Obama in support of strong implementation of heatlh reform
- Comments to IOM on establishing the minimum essential benefits package
- Letter to GAO regarding behavioral health representation on National Health Care Workforce Commission
- Comments to HHS on establishing standards for compliance programs
- Comments to NCQA on standards for Accountable Care Organizations
- Comments to HHS on establishing state health insurance exchanges
- Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and Coalition for Whole Health comments on coverage of preventive services under healthcare reform
- Coalition for Whole Health comments on proposed regulations for "grandfathered" insurance plans
- Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities comments on proposed patient protection regulations
- Letter from National Council and Board nominating Dr. Susan Mandel to serve on the National Workforce Advisory Commission
- Letter from National Council and Board nominating Dr. Carl Clark to serve on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
- Sign on Letter to the President in Support of Healthcare Reform
- Letter to Senator Stabenow, Thanking her for her Leadership on the Senate Finance Committee
- National Council Sends Letter in Support of Healthcare Reform to President Obama
Fact Sheets and Issue Briefs
- Essential Health Benefits: What Does the New HHS Guidance Mean for Behavioral Health?
- National Council issue brief: "Accountable Care Organizations: The Tipping Point for Behavioral Health"
- National Council Synopsis of CMS Guidance on Medicaid Health Homes
- Medicaid Health Homes Fact Sheet: "A Unique Opportunity to Integrate Behavioral Health Into the Person-Centered Medical Home"
- Roadmap for State Associations
- Enrollment in Medicaid Expansion and State Exchanges
- Closing the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap in Healthcare Reform
- Healthcare Reform and the Medicaid Expansion
- Dual Eligibles Provisions in Healthcare Reform
- Healthcare Reform and Behavioral Health: Responding to New Demands and Emerging Health Crises
- Issue Brief on the New Temporary High-Risk Pool for Individuals Without Insurance: provides key information on the rollout of the temporary high-risk insurance option enacted under health reform
- Healthcare Payment Reform and the Behavioral Health Safety Net: What's on the Horizon for the Community Behavioral Health System?
- The Uninsured — The Impact of Covering Mental Illness and Addiction Disorders
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Policy brief and full report of the RWJF Synthesis Project, a report on the importance of focusing efforts in health care on individuals with comorbid mental and medical conditions.
Summaries & Timelines
- Implementation Tracker: Visit the implementation tracker on our blog to view the latest updates on provisions of health reform that will soon be going into effect.
- Summary of the Health Reform Law: provides an overview of all major provisions of interest to community behavioral health providers. Updated October 2010 to include information about effective dates and level of appropriations.
- Full Implementation Timeline: details the exact start date of each major provision that may impact community behavioral health providers.
- Timeline for Implementing Medicaid Provisions of Healthcare Reform
State Activities
- State Health Reform Resources, Lessons Learned Now Available on MentalHealthcareReform.org
- CT: State is First to Implement Early Expansion of Medicaid (June 22, 2010)
- MN: Governor Opts Not to Sign Medicaid Expansion Legislation; Restores Funding for General Assistance Medical Care (June 8, 2010)
- CT, DC: District of Columbia & Connecticut Set to Begin Early Expansions of Medicaid (May 25, 2010)
- VA: State Announces Initiative to Prepare for Health Reform Implementation (May 25, 2010)
- AZ: State Restores Funding for Medicaid, Reauthorizes CHIP (May 11, 2010)
- NV: State Begins Preparations for Medicaid Expansion (Apr. 27, 2010)
Healthcare Reform Implementation Webinar Series
- Healthcare Reform Expands Compliance Requirements: Prepare Now Adam Falk (October 13, 2010) Presentation
- Healthcare Reform: Implications for Community Behavioral Health Organizations as Employers Bonnie Washington and Eric Hammelman (September 23, 2010) Presentation and Answers to Webinar Questions
- Healthcare Reform: Implications for Behavioral Health Providers John O'Brien, Chuck Ingoglia, and Dale Jarvis (September 21, 2010) Presentation
- Responding to Healthcare Reform and Parity: A Qualitative Approach to Enhanced Treatment Capacity David Lloyd and Sandy Myers (July 13, 2010) Presentation and DLA-20
- Healthcare Reform Implementation: Medicaid Expansion and the Impact on Behavioral Health Anne Kohler (June 8, 2010) Presentation
- Healthcare Reform Implementation: What is an Accountable Care Organization and Why Should I Care? Dale Jarvis (May 14, 2010) Presentation, MH Performance Measure, and References
- Healthcare Reform Implementation: What to Expect When Contracting with MCOs Juliana Gonen (Apr.9, 2010) Presentation
- Healthcare Reform: What Happens Next? Linda Rosenberg and Chuck Ingoglia (Mar. 30, 2010) Presentation
Additional Resources
- MentalHealthcareReform.org, your one-stop shop for news and resources related to the behavioral health components of health reform
- Healthcare.gov, the federal government's website with news and resources on the implementation of healthcare reform
- Families USA Healthcare Reform Website
- Kaiser Family Foundation Healthcare Reform Website
- Robert Wood Johnson Healthcare Reform Website
- Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: RWJF Study Finds 1 in 5 U.S. Workers Uninsured, Compared to 1 in 7 in mid-1990s
- Report from the National Council and NAMI: "Coverage for All: Inclusion of Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders in State Healthcare Reform Initiatives
