was published in late June and has already received a great deal of praise ("Brilliant" - Fran Silvestri, Director: International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership; "A triumphant inaugural issue" - Paul Lefkovitz, CEO: Behavioral Pathway Systems; "Very useful..." - Elaine Alfano, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law). The PQB comes bundled with two other services, the "PULSE Bulletin" (40 issues/year) and "Recent Resources" (10 issues /year) and organizational subscriptions include access to a set of Internet-based tools for distributing news and announcements. For details on subscriptions, please see the new
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
Less than 1 percent of health plan members are diagnosed with alcohol use disorders AMA press release reprinted at
EurekAlert, based on the 2005 eValue8 RFI Initiative, which captures voluntarily reported data from more than 250 health plans nationwide - "Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders, according to data from a national performance measurement project released today in New York City at the American Medical Association Media Briefing, Alcohol Dependence: From Science to Solutions. Based on general population rates, health plans should be diagnosing at least four or five times as many members with alcohol problems."
House to Consider Association Health Plan Legislation; Proposal Would Weaken State Mental Illness Insurance Parity Laws NAMI alert - "Later this week the U.S. House of Representatives will consider legislation to vastly expand multi-employer Association Health Plans (AHPs) and undermine existing state laws that require health plans to cover treatment for mental illness on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses – commonly referred to as parity. This proposal (HR 525) would significantly expand the scope of a federal law (known as ERISA), that exempts self-insured employer health plans from state regulation. By expanding ERISA, HR 525 would encourage employers that currently offer health plans for their workers (and their families) to switch away from coverage that meets a parity standard, i.e. plans that cover mental illnesses the same as all other illnesses."
US Health Officials Try to Head off Autism Debate Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "Federal health officials affirmed the safety of vaccines on Tuesday in an unusual news conference called to counter a growing movement alleging that vaccines can cause autism. Autism activists planned a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to press their contention that the government has covered up evidence linking autism to a mercury-based product once used in vaccines. They will also demand more research into autism, which they say is a growing problem." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Developments in State Medicaid Programs Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report coverage of recent Medicaid-related developments in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Utah, with links to related news stories and agency resources.
Anxiety Is Often an Undiagnosed Obstacle to Mental Health Wellness eMaxHealth.com story - "The majority of people diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder also experience symptoms of anxiety, yet almost half have not been diagnosed with or treated for an anxiety disorder, according to a new survey conducted by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). These findings suggest that both patients and physicians are not fully aware of the correlation between anxiety symptoms and other mood disorders: specifically depression and bipolar disorder."
Mental health treatment vital Column in the
Arizona Republic by William Arnold, an emeritus professor at Arizona State University - "The National Institutes of Health recently released their once-in-a-decade report on mental illness in the country. The report indicated that one in four people has a psychiatric disorder. Forty percent of these people sought treatment for the disorder; that was up from 25 percent 10 years earlier. In another report, one in five people over 65 has some form of mental illness. The expectation is that this rate will double in the next decade. ... Americans spent more than $100 billion on mental health care last year. Of that, we spent $20 billion for antidepressants and antipsychotic medications. Unfortunately, even though large sums are spent, 60 percent are not getting any care, and the NIH reports that many who seek help are not getting adequate care. Only one-third got minimally adequate care."
Funding lagging, mental health officials say (Pennsylvania) Wliiamsport Sun-Gazette story - "Nearly 100 people are on a waiting list for care by the Lycoming and Clinton counties Mental Health-Mental Retardation agency, but the state will provide funding for only six. During the agency’s monthly meeting Wednesday, that fact, which attendees said probably eluded state legislators, became the centerpiece of discussion. ‘We cannot ever over-educate,’ said Lycoming County Commissioner Rebecca A. Burke, who is a member of the agency’s board of directors. ‘I don’t think they (state legislators) can grasp the severity of the needs.' ’’
Money to plug Medicaid holes is funding mental health (Utah) Deseret News story - "Money intended to plug, at least partially, a $6 million hole left by recent federal cuts to the Medicaid program is already being used for mental health treatment for indigent Utahns who don't qualify for the government insurance program. The new director of the state Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health told lawmakers, who appropriated the one-time, $2 million award earlier this year, that the funds have been distributed based on the needs of specific mental health centers across the state." See also
Mental health funds cut; patients increase (
Salt Lake Tribune).
Mental-health bill needs NDP support: MacIsaac (Canada) CBC Nova Scotia story - "Nova Scotia Health Minister Angus MacIsaac is calling again on the NDP to support new legislation to reform mental-health care. MacIsaac says proposed legislation would prevent families from having to lay charges against loved ones with mental illness in an effort to get them help. ... Bill 203 would give families new tools to compel their loved ones to accept treatments, MacIsaac says. But so far, the Conservative minority government hasn't been able to obtain support for it from the NDP"
