Congress Continues 2011 Budget Negotiations; Senate Holds Votes on Two Proposals 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Council is pleased to announce that John Sczomak of Neighborhood Service Organization in Detroit, Michigan is the winner of our February Advocacy Challenge. Congratulations to John for his dedication and commitment to advocacy on behalf of addictions and mental health treatment! The National Council encourages all of our members to help build support in Congress for a strong behavioral health safety net by participating in the monthly advocacy challenge. From now until Hill Day, be the person who is most active each month in contacting your legislators through our Action Alert system (LINK).  Each month, we’ll honor the individuals who took action on the most alerts with special recognition in our email newsletters and on our website. Click for more information. (LINK)

 

 

 

 In the ongoing congressional debate over the FY 2011 budget, the Senate Democratic leadership has outlined a new spending proposal in response to the steep cuts approved last month by the House. The new Senate proposal would make cuts of $6.5 billion below FY 2010 spending levels. This figure is $51 billion below President’ Obama’s FY 2011 spending proposals, which were never enacted. In contrast, the House-passed measure (HR 1) makes cuts of $61 billion below 2010 levels (over $100 billion less than the President’s 2011 proposals) and includes a reduction of over $200 million to the budget for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, along with significant cuts to other important programs for individuals with additions and mental health disorders.

 

For a full list of the proposed spending levels in HR 1 and the Senate alternative, click here. Please note that the spending reductions displayed in this chart are in comparison to the President’s 2011 budget proposals – not to the actual 2010 levels of spending that are currently in place under the continuing resolution that is funding the government through March 18.

 

Although Congress is under significant pressure to make spending cuts, negotiations between the Republican-led House and the Democrat-led Senate have proved difficult to overcome. Complicating the debate is the issue of federal funding for health reform: most Democrats are unlikely to vote for a bill that defunds the health law, while many Republicans have indicated they would not vote for a bill that includes any funding for reform.      

 

To gage congressional support for the two competing spending proposals, Senate leaders yesterday held a vote on both the House-passed HR 1 and the Senate’s alternative. While neither bill achieved the 60 votes necessary for passage in the Senate, the party leadership in both chambers hopes to use the votes to gain bargaining power in further negotiations.  Without another extension or agreement by March 18th on the budget for the rest of the current fiscal year (which ends on September 30), government operations will be forced to shut down.

 

 

 

 

The National Council has updated its Federal Budget Chart to reflect spending and proposed spending levels for behavioral health agencies and programs for Fiscal Years 2010-2012. The chart includes information about 2010 enacted spending, 2011 current levels of spending under the continuing resolution set to expire on March 18, and President Obama’s budget requests for 2012. For more information and resources, please visit the Federal Budget page of our website.

 

 

Report Details Likely Effects of Proposals to Roll Back Medicaid Coverage
 

A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers information on how rolling back Medicaid coverage would impact states. Under health reform, states must maintain 2010 Medicaid eligibility levels until at least 2014, when new rules and eligibility levels will go into effect. But with states continuing to experience budget crunches during the recession, some governors have proposed eliminating this “maintenance of effort” provision. According to the CBPP report:

 

 

The CBPP report provides background on maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements, outlines the adverse impact that eliminating MOE would have on the economy, and discusses how a repeal would affect children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Click here to read the report.  

 

 

 

Judge Roger Vinson of Florida last week issued a clarification of his earlier ruling against the health reform law, in which he struck down the law’s requirement that all individuals purchase health insurance. Although Judge Vinson did not expressly issue an injunction against the law, some states had argued that his ruling meant they did not have to continue with reform implementation. As a result, the Department of Justice filed a request asking Judge Vinson to clarify whether he meant to halt the rollout of health reform.

 

On March 3, Judge Vinson issued a clarification stating that implementation of health reform can continue in the 26 states that were parties to the lawsuit, under two conditions: the Obama administration must file its appeal of Vinson’s ruling within 7 days, and it must request an expedited review. In his clarification, Vinson reasoned that it would be “extremely disruptive” to block the entire health reform law while the case moves through the court system. However, his conditions on the stay of his ruling sent a clear message to the federal government that it must act swiftly to appeal the law. The Department of Justice this week filed its appeal of Vinson’s ruling.

 

 

 

Does your voice at Hill Day make a difference? Yes, it does! In a recent letter to behavioral health providers and administrators, Jeff Walter, President and CEO of the Rushford Center in Connecticut and member of the National Council Board of Directors explains how YOU can make a difference at Hill Day. From Jeff’s letter:

 

 

Click here to view the full text of Jeff’s letter, read about our attendees’ accomplishments at Hill Day 2010, and learn more about why coming to Hill Day makes a difference on federal behavioral health funding and policy.

 

The National Council is expecting a record number of attendees at our 7th Annual Public Policy Institute and Hill Day, to be held July 19-20 in Washington, D.C. Don’t wait – register today, and join hundreds of your peers and colleagues from around the country in advocating for our field’s priorities! Registration is free and open to all members. Please contact Rebecca Farley with any questions about Hill Day.

 

 

 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a call for comments on how often screening and brief interventions should be performed in primary care and who is qualified to provide these services. Medicare does not pay for screenings unless there is specific statutory authority; however, under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), CMS can add preventive services if the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gives the service a Grade A or B rating. USPSTF recommended a Grade B for Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse. If Medicare decides to pay for screening and brief intervention services, it would be an incentive for more physicians to perform them. Additionally, under the Affordable Care Act, copayments are not allowed for preventive services which would benefit Medicare beneficiaries. Please visit the CMS website to read the call for comments, view others’ comments, and submit your own.

 

 

 

Check out the National Council’s healthcare reform blog for the latest news about reform implementation, along with resources to help you learn about the law and take advantage of its many provisions. New this week on MentalHealthcareReform.org: