On Wednesday, the Senate voted 62-36 in favor of extending the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) increase for an additional six months, to June 30, 2011. The FMAP increase, originally enacted in the 2009 economic recovery bill, provides fiscal relief to states by increasing the federal share of support for states’ Medicaid programs through Dec. 30, 2010. 

 

The extension of the FMAP increase, which was included in legislation to extend certain tax breaks, must now be approved by the House before it can be sent to President Obama for his signature. The House has twice already voted to pass the FMAP extension: once as part of its original jobs bill, and once as part of its version of healthcare reform. While some members of the House have expressed concerns about the cost offsets included in the Senate-passed bill, we do not foresee any major obstacles that would prevent House passage.

 

The National Council would like to thank our members who responded to our many Action Alerts in support of the FMAP extension. Your strong and consistent advocacy had a direct impact on the bipartisan Senate vote for the bill! Here is what you did that made such a difference:

Thank you for your consistent and powerful advocacy in support of extending the FMAP increase! Stay tuned to the Public Policy Update and our Action Alerts for information on the bill's progress through the House and opportunities to get involved.

 

 

 

Healthcare reform inched forward this week as Congressional and Administration officials continued their negotiations on a package of “corrections” that modifies the Senate-passed legislation to address the concerns of members of the House. As the healthcare reform debate moves into its final stages, negotiators have expressed optimism that a successful compromise will be reached. However, although some lawmakers have said that a final bill could be enacted before Congress adjourns for its spring recess in late March, that timeline may be difficult to meet. Lawmakers are still in the process of revising proposals and waiting for cost scoring information from the Congressional Budget Office. Once the provisions of the corrections bill have been finalized, leaders in both chambers will start lining up votes for a two-part process: the House must vote to pass the version of healthcare reform approved by the Senate in December; and both chambers must vote to approve the corrections package under budget reconciliation rules that require only a simple majority of votes in the Senate.

 

Still uncertain is whether the House will be able to elicit an assurance from the Senate that it will approve the corrections package. While proponents of reform in the House evaluate procedural moves that would give them the most security on what may be a difficult vote, opponents of reform in the Senate are strategizing on how to use the parliamentary process to slow down or defeat portions of the corrections bill. Meanwhile, President Obama has embarked on a series of speaking events aimed at building public support for healthcare reform.

 

For the latest news on healthcare reform, please join us for the next in our Healthcare Reform Update webinar series. The next webinar will take place on March 30 at 1:00 pm Eastern time. Registration is available online.

 

 

 

Regulations providing guidance on how insurance plans should implement the Wellstone-Domenici Parity Law were issued on Jan. 29, 2010. These regulations will go into effect for plan years that begin on July 1, 2010 or later. Up until that time, insurance plans are expected to make a reasonable effort to comply with the terms of the law.

 

The National Council wants to make sure that group health plans covered by the law are complying with its requirements. If you suspect that your insurance plan is improperly restricting coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services, we want to hear from you. Your stories will help us monitor the implementation of the law and identify critical concerns or patterns across the country. Click here to send us an email about whether the parity law is working for you. In particular, we'd like to hear about any specific problems you're experiencing in getting coverage for mental health and substance use treatment, or whether your insurance plan has dropped mental health/substance use coverage that it previously offered.

 

For more resources on the Wellstone-Domenici Parity Law and for information on how to file an official complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Labor, visit the Parity page of our website. 

 

The National Council is part of the Parity Implementation Coalition, a group of addictions and mental health organizations formed to keep the implementation of the Wellstone-Domenici Parity Act consistent with Congressional intent and ensure that robust addictions and mental health benefits are available to Americans covered by the parity law. The coalition will be releasing a detailed legal analysis of the parity regulations sometime in the next two weeks. Stay tuned to the Public Policy Update for more details.

 

 

 

Given the high levels of federal and state interest in Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), the National Council has released a new fact sheet examining mental health and substance use (MH/SU) care within Community Care Teams, a variation on the medical home model designed to support primary care practices with only one or two physicians. Community Care Teams are a mechanism for providing many of the fundamental functions of a PCMH and can be enhanced by including MH/SU services in care coordination. In addition, we examine how MH/SU care was integrated into high-profile Community Care Teams pilot projects in North Carolina. 

 

The National Council is dedicated to bringing together current developments around the patient-centered medical home with evidence-based approaches to the integration of primary care and behavioral health.  For more information, access the National Council’s report titled, Behavioral Health/Primary Care Integration and the Person-Centered Healthcare Home and state policy fact sheet, Integrating Behavioral Health Into the Person-Centered Medical Home. Additional resources are available on the Collaborative Care page of our website.

 

 

 

Do you want to increase your political engagement, but you’re not sure how? Are you worried your voice won’t have an impact on your elected officials? Come to Washington, D.C. for Hill Day 2010, and take advantage of our workshops designed to help you be a successful advocate! Our policy experts will teach strategies for influencing your federal representatives, provide information on how to prepare for your Hill visits, and coach you through mock meeting scenarios. With Hill Day 2010, we are building on the success of our popular small-group coaching sessions from last year. If you attended a session in 2009, we’ll have new advanced workshops for experienced advocates. If you’re a first-time Hill Day attendee, or if you just want more practice, we’ll offer workshops on the basics of meeting with your elected officials. Stay tuned to the Hill Day page of our website for more details about the workshops as they become available. Registration for Hill Day is free and open to all members. Register today, and start setting up your June 30th appointments with your Senators, Representative, and the Washington branch of your Governor’s office!