Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Nevada mental health programs discussed Las Vegas Sun story - "An Assembly panel voted Monday to add $17.8 million to Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed $100 million in new spending for mental health care programs. The Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously Monday to approve AB175, a bill supporters said "fills the gaps" that are aggravating a mental health care crisis in Las Vegas. There are only 131 psychiatric beds in facilities other than general hospitals in the Las Vegas area, a shortage that led Clark County to declare an emergency last July."  
  

Senate approves insurance for mental health (Oregon) Bend.com story - "The state Senate today approved a measure to provide full parity in health care coverage for those with mental illness, with several senators calling current practices discrimination against the mentally ill. Senate Bill 1 requires health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for mental health and chemical dependency treatment as they provide for other medical treatments. It prohibits insurers from imposing treatment limitations unless similar limitations or requirements are imposed on coverage of other medical conditions."  
  

Mental-health providers relieved (Washington) Seattle Times story - " Community mental-health providers who were fearing the worst were relieved — even a little surprised — that Gov. Christine Gregoire included an extra $80 million in her budget to restore almost all of the $82 million lost in federal Medicaid cuts. ... If the Legislature goes along with Gregoire's plan, Gaylord said, the money will help keep 1,600 severely mentally ill people in residential services and help pay for mental-health services for 43,000 people with low incomes who are not on Medicaid. "