National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Mohini Venkatesh

, National Council for Behavioral Health

Churning in health insurance enrollment has long been a problem for many people, as changes in their life circumstances create a cycle of losing and regaining eligibility for coverage. A new Commonwealth Fund report identifies opportunities to reduce churn and its negative impact,

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Nina Marshall

, National Council for Behavioral Health

Financing for Tobacco Cessation Services is made available through the ACA, which requires its coverage among all Essential Health Benefit-covered plans.

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Mohini Venkatesh

, National Council for Behavioral Health

A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds that people who selected silver plans, the most popular plan type in the federal Marketplace, with tax credits paid an average premium of $69 per month. In the federal Marketplace, 69 percent of enrollees who selected Marketplace plans with tax credits had […]

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Mohini Venkatesh

, National Council for Behavioral Health

The need for strong business operations has never been more critical for behavioral health providers. That’s why BHbusiness Plus helps organizations expand capacity and thrive in the new healthcare environment.

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Mohini Venkatesh

, National Council for Behavioral Health

A GAO report finds shortcomings of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) existing oversight of Medicaid managed care, noting among other things, for example, that CMS “has largely delegated managed care program integrity oversight activities to the states, but has not updated its program integrity guidance since 2000.”

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Jessica LoVerso

Policy Intern, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act of 2014 (S. 2413) in the Senate. This bill includes a new project, the Community Mental Health Partnership Pilot Program, which would connect medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs with surrounding community mental health and substance use treatment providers to […]

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Shelina Foderingham

Director, Practice Improvement, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Did you know lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of both men and women in the United States and is the most preventable? Smoking is one of the leading causes of lung cancer – both in smokers and individuals exposed to secondhand smoke. By quitting smoking, an individual’s risk for dying from lung cancer […]

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Mohini Venkatesh

, National Council for Behavioral Health

The National Council and Friends of the NIDA’s congressional briefing on marijuana use over the past decade and the latest research on health effects.

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Rebecca Farley

Director, Policy & Advocacy, National Council for Behavioral Health

Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over healthcare released its proposed fiscal year 2015 funding levels for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While program-level detail is not yet available, the top-line numbers held few surprises for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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Rebecca Farley

Director, Policy & Advocacy, National Council for Behavioral Health

Newly released data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicate that Medicaid enrollment continued to grow throughout April, beyond the March 31 end of the open enrollment period in state and federal health insurance exchanges. Because enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Proram (CHIP) can occur year-round, enrollment under the programs continues to grow. The new data show roughly six million more Medicaid and CHIP enrollees as compared to the period immediately preceding the initial open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Chuck Ingoglia

, National Council for Behavioral Health

It’s been a big year for mental health and substance use on Capitol Hill: from passing the Excellence in Mental Health Act to increasing funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, establishing federal grants for Mental Health First Aid training, and blocking a Medicare proposal to revoke protected status for mental health drugs. But our work is far from over.

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Rebecca Farley

Director, Policy & Advocacy, National Council for Behavioral Health

The House last week voted to approve the Commerce-Justice-Science 2015 federal spending bill, which funds Department of Justice programs such as the Second Chance Act. First established in 2008, the Second Chance Act was designed to help prisoners effectively reintegrate into the community. The Act established grants for government agencies and nonprofits to provide services that reduce recidivism by improving outcomes for people returning from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.

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Adam Swanson

Senior Policy Associate, National Council for Behavioral Health

New legislation expands Medicare coverage for behavioral health services provided by marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) included this important change in the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (R-HoPE) Act, a bill which amends several Medicare provisions in an effort to improve Americans’ access to mental health and […]

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