Monday, October 07, 2002

Magellan in throes of financial downturn
Philadelphia Inquirer story on the region's largest mental health insurer, which is $1 billion in debt, has "faced a fresh wave of criticism recently from patients, legislators and prosecutors for its treatment decisions" and "has now attracted a more powerful critic: Wall Street." Last week, Magellan's stock fell to a low of 13 cents a share. "Many providers," the story notes, "said they fear that Magellan, which covers five million people in Pennsylvania and nearly three million in New Jersey, could soon declare bankruptcy."  
  

Mental health system faces uncertainty (California)
Story at the Oakland Press on the "nearly constant change" in the mental health system over the past decade as the system has "struggled through upheavals in how services are delivered and paid for. And, with a sluggish economy and a massive state deficit, uncertainty and change are likely to continue for Oakland County's Community Mental Health Authority and the other 47 such agencies around the state."  
  

Senator wants federal review of mental health system (Maine)
Portland Press Herald story at MaineToday.com on the request by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for an investigation by HHS into why "some parents in Maine and other states claim they had to give up custody of mentally ill children to obtain intensive treatment for them." The request comes as part of the response to "Castaway Children: Maine's Most Vulnerable Kids," a series by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram that originally ran in August. See also the page at MaineToday that indexes the three articles in the original series as well as key statistics, background information, maps, charts, tables and more than a dozen follow-up articles.