June 25, 2009

Healthcare Reform Considered by Relevant Committees on the Hill; Obama Determined to Achieve Healthcare Reform this Year

Call to Action! Send Editorial in Support of Healthcare Reform to Your Local Media

House Passes Department of Justice Appropriations Bill; MIOCTRA and Drug Courts Included in Funding

National Council and Other Advocates Continue to Seek an Additional $150 Million in Funding for SAPT Block Grant

Register Now for Upcoming National Council Webinars on Healthcare Reform and Managing Addictions as a Chronic Condition 

Resources from the National Council 

Healthcare Reform Considered by Relevant Committees on the Hill; Obama Determined to Achieve Healthcare Reform this Year

The three committees in the House with jurisdiction over healthcare reform - Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor - released joint draft legislative language for healthcare reform on Friday June 19.  The legislation, known as the “Tri-Committee Health Reform Discussion Draft", would:

• create a health insurance exchange that can be operated by the state or federal government, which will include a public plan option
• expand Medicaid services to individuals and families with income levels below 133% of federal poverty level (FPL)
• create a new independent Advisory Committee which would recommend a minimum benefit package
• reform insurance markets to limit the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage or charge higher rates based on health status, gender or other factors and prohibit lifetime and annual limits on benefits
• create individual and employer mandated health insurance

Perhaps most important to mental health and substance use disorder providers is the inclusion of parity in the tri-committee healthcare reform legislation.

The three committees released a summary of the legislation.  The National Council is reviewing this proposal and how it would affect mental health and substance use disorder benefits and will release more detailed information as it becomes available.

At the same time, the Senate Finance Committee has decided to postpone introduction of its healthcare reform legislation; it will likely not be reviewed in committee until after the July 4th recess.  The decision came after the initial Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scoring of part of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee legislation which put the cost of the HELP legislation at $1.6 trillion.  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) wants his committee’s reform bill to be deficit neutral which means he will have to find savings in healthcare to pay for any additional costs incurred due to reform.  Baucus is considering several ways to pay for reform by taxing individuals and employers who do not have or provide healthcare, taxing employer provided healthcare benefits worth more than an undetermined amount, and cutting Medicare and Medicaid spending.  Baucus expects the total cost of healthcare reform to be approximately $1 trillion.  Baucus still intends to have the Finance Committee’s legislation on the Senate floor for debate by August.

The other Senate committee with jurisdiction over healthcare reform – the HELP Committee - continues to review its healthcare reform legislation released on June 9.  Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), who is standing in as Chairman of the HELP Committee for Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), plans to have the committee review of the “Affordable Health Choices Act” finished by June 26, 2009.  Furthermore, he intends to have the HELP Committee vote on the legislation and send it to the floor of the Senate for more debate by the July 4th recess.  A summary of the HELP Committee’s legislation can be found in the Public Policy Update on June 18, 2009.

President Obama continues to push for healthcare reform saying it is a necessary component of economic recovery.  Obama continues to support any plan where every American has quality affordable healthcare; however, the price of such reform must be within reason.  He will continue to work with Congressional leaders and people across the nation to ensure that quality, affordable, and sustainable healthcare is passed this year. 

For a side-by-side comparison of different healthcare reform legislation being proposed click here.  Register now for bi-weekly “Healthcare Reform Update Webinars” (see story below).  Stay tuned to the Public Policy Update to receive the latest information on healthcare reform and how it will affect mental health and substance use disorder benefits.

Call to Action! Send Editorial in Support of Healthcare Reform to Your Local Media

With the release of healthcare reform bills by the Senate and House of Representatives, healthcare reform is gaining momentum.  However, interests concerned with maintaining the status quo are working feverishly to slow down or stop this process. 

We need your help to keep momentum for healthcare reform in Washington.  Please use the template provided by the National Council to send an editorial to your local paper to ensure it will be in the papers while your Members of Congress are home over the July 4th recess.  In the template, you will have ample opportunity to personalize the editorial to express the needs and concerns of your organization and community.  Please include individual stories from your organization, either from a person receiving services from your organization or a person who needs service but has been unable to receive them.

After the editorial has been published, please send the article to

• your Members’ local offices (both Senators and Representatives)
• your Members; Washington, D.C. offices
• National Council

This is a great opportunity to bring awareness to how state budget cuts are impacting your organization and the increasing rates of uninsured individuals seeking help at your facility. It is also important to continue to let Members of Congress know that healthcare reform is supported in their district and that the concerns over paying for healthcare reform can’t stop healthcare reform from moving forward.  Click here to access the cover letter template which can accompany your article to your Members of Congress.  You can find the contact information for your Members of Congress through the National Council's website.

If you need assistance with the op-ed or with any of your media efforts around this editorial, please do not hesitate to contact Nathan Spranger at NathanS@thenationalcouncil.org or 202.684.7457.  Samples of recent National Council and member media coverage are on our website.  You can get the latest statistics on your state’s unemployment level online

House Passes Department of Justice Appropriations Bill; MIOCTRA and Drug Courts Included in Funding

The appropriations bill for the Department of Justice (HR 2847) was passed by the House on June 18, and sent to the Senate for consideration.  HR 2847 was largely unchanged despite the large number of amendments offered on the floor.  The bill includes:

• $30 million for state prison substance abuse treatment programs
• $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Act
• $114 million for the Second Chance Act
• $45 million for drug courts

Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) of the Senate Appropriations Committee indicated that his committee would begin its consideration of the Senate version of the Department of Justice appropriations bill on Thursday June 25.  For the latest information on the FY2010 budget visit the National Council’s Federal Budget Webpage. Also see the National Council’s Appropriations Fact Sheet.

National Council and Other Advocates Continue to Seek an Additional $150 Million in Funding for SAPT Block Grant

The National Council strongly supports efforts to increase the funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant; it was one of the issues brought to Members of Congress by National Council advocates earlier this month on Hill Day.  This week, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc. (NASADAD) sent a letter to Congress asking for an increase to the SAPT Block Grant by $150 million in FY2010.  The SAPT block grant represents approximately 40 percent of treatment expenditures by state substance abuse agencies across the country and in some states constitutes as much as 70 to 80 percent of spending on prevention and treatment.  In the letter to Congressional leaders NASADAD argued for increased funding to help maintain the level of services provided in 2004 as well as to aid people who are now unemployed and have lost their healthcare and need help with a substance use disorder. 

You can still advocate in support of the $150 million increase in funding for the SAPT Block Grant by writing your Members of Congress now.

For more information on the SAPT Block Grant view the National Council’s Fact Sheet and the NASADAD Fact Sheet.

Register Now for Upcoming National Council Webinars on Healthcare Reform and Managing Addictions as a Chronic Condition

Healthcare Reform Update June 26 at 2:00 pm est REGISTER NOW

Featuring, Chuck Ingoglia, VP of Public Policy, The National Council and Alexa Eggleston, Director of Public Policy, The National Council

The National Council will be hosting its first webinar in a bi-weekly series dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on healthcare reform.  President Obama and leaders in Congress have committed themselves to overhauling healthcare this year and reform is picking up speed.  The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released their Affordable Health Choices Act on June 9th and the three House Committees with jurisdiction over healthcare reform released the first part of their reform bill on June 19th.  With reform moving so quickly, the National Council is offering this webinar series to ensure you are updated on the latest Congressional and Administration actions related to healthcare reform and understand the potential impact of proposals on mental health and addiction services. Each webinar will include a Q&A session.  Register for all of the healthcare reform update webinars being offered this summer.

• Healthcare Reform Update July 8 at 2:00 pm est
• Healthcare Reform Update July 22 at 2:00 pm est
• Healthcare Reform Update August 5 at 2:00 pm est
• Healthcare Reform Update August 19 at 2:00 pm est

Managing Addiction as a Chronic Condition June 30 at 2:00 pm est REGISTER NOW

Featuring, Michael Dennis, Ph.D., Chestnut Health Systems Bloomington, Illinois

This webinar will review progress in adapting addiction treatment to respond more fully to the chronic nature of most patients’ problems and discuss emerging approaches to recovery management, including techniques for improving the continuity of care, monitoring during periods of abstinence, and early re-intervention; recent developments in the field related to self-management, mutual aid, and other recovery supports; and system-level interventions. The webinar will also address the importance of adjusting treatment funding and organizational structures to better meet the needs of individuals with a chronic disease.

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:

NEW July 4th Recess Editorial Template and Cover Letter Template which should accompany a copy of the editorial to Members of Congress.

Fact Sheets from the National Council's Fifth Annual Hill Day June 9-10, 2009

• Summary of National Council’s Advocacy Priorities and Healthcare Reform Agenda
• Fact Sheet: Healthcare Reform and Parity
• Fact Sheet: Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers
• Fact Sheet: Co-Sponsor S1136 Mental Illness Chronic Care Improvement Act
• Fact Sheet: HIT Funding Initiatives
• Fact Sheet: Co-sponsor HR1011 Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act
• Fact Sheet: FY2010 Appropriations for mental health and addictions
• Fact Sheet: Support $150 Million Increase in the SAPT Block Grant
• Fact Sheet: Support Increase Funding for Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration 
• Fact Sheet: Mentally Ill Die 25 Years Earlier on Average
  

Documents from the Public Policy Committee on June 9, 2009

• Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration
• Full Report: Healthcare Payment Reform and the Behavioral Health Safety Net
• Fact Sheet: Healthcare Payment Reform and the Behavioral Health Safety Net
• National Council Comments to the Senate Finance Committee on Healthcare Reform
• Parity Coalition's Final Comments
• National Council's Parity Comments 

Presenations from the Public Policy Committee on June 9, 2009

• National Council Policy Agenda Overview by Linda Rosenberg
• Medicaid Expansion Impact, The Urban Institute
• ARRA and HIT Funding, Kevin Scalia
• Healthcare Payment Reform, Dale Jarvis
• Parity, Alexa Eggleston
• Federal Appropriations Update, Alexa Eggleston 

The National Council launched its new Children and Youth page on its website.

The National Council along with other health organizations sent a letter to Senator Baucus on the Finance Committee uring the includion of behavioral health in any HIT funding opportunities.  The National Council also supplied a letter template to members to email to key Members of Congress.

The National Council recently released a new Fact Sheet on the Mental Health Services Block Grant.

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.