Thursday, April 03, 2003

Experts back changes to preferred drug plan (South Carolina)
Story at The State - "Physicians and advocates for the mentally ill spoke Wednesday in favor of legislation to exempt Medicaid recipients from getting prior physician approval for medications not on the state's preferred drug list. Experts testifying before the state Senate's medical affairs committee said limiting access to medication for people with mental illnesses could be dangerous to the patient and potentially costly to the community. A vote is expected next week."  
  

Remember psychiatric patient's civil rights (Washington)
Opinion column by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz ib the Seattle Post Intelligencer - "The Washington Legislature is considering two bills that ostensibly deal with psychiatric advance directives. I say 'ostensibly' because these bills, and all others like them, are reaffirmations of the mental patient's status as de jure medical patient and de facto psychiatric slave..." See also the opinion piece by one of the legislators who sponsored one of the bills being considered, Those afflicted by mental illness need new legal tool.  
  

Mental health care legislation passes both houses (Maryland)
Story in the Star Democrat - "Mental health care legislation has passed through both houses of the Maryland General Assembly.... House Bill 25 creates a task force to study access to mental health services. An amendment added the study of wages for health care providers to the other issues to be examined. The companion bill - Senate Bill 252 - passed the Senate with the amendments."