Wednesday, April 02, 2003

State eyes grants to rein in Medicaid (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe story on talks by the state with drug firms for programs that may reduce medical costs for poor residents - "Drug companies and patient advocates have been meeting with Medicaid officials and legislators for weeks, trying to convince them that mental health drugs should be exempt from the state's preferred drug list and that every antidepressant and antipsychotic should be available to Medicaid patients without special permission from the agency."  
  

Last in Line: Barriers to Community Integration of Older Adults with Mental Illnesses and Recommendations for Change
The executive summary of a February 2003 report from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. The report concludes with a series of recommendations and an addendum details findings in each of the states and "recommendations for modifying some of these state policies and practices as part of efforts to promote community integration and in hopes of spurring critical evaluations in all states about the biases against community integration for older adults with mental illnesses that are embedded in policies and practices guiding public healthcare and reimbursement systems." The full report is available for a fee.