Monday, March 14, 2005

New Jersey Parity Battle Bolstered by Cost Study Article at JoinTogether - "Advocates for addiction and mental-health parity were making good progress in New Jersey's last legislative session when opponents successfully threw up a potential stumbling block: a call for a study on the costs of the proposal. But while the legislative push was delayed by the report, the end result was positive for parity advocates: the government study found that the cost of requiring insurers to cover addiction and mental health was quite low, and parity supporters now have a new tool to use in making their case to lawmakers."  
  

Medicaid in the Cross Hairs New York Times editorial - "Everyone seems to be howling about the cost of Medicaid, and no wonder. Spending on the health care program for the poor has been exploding, up from about $200 billion in 2000 to more than $300 billion at last count. State governments, which share the costs with the federal government, were hit with the bill just as the economic downturn hit their revenues. And the Bush administration, awash in red ink, wants to cut costs. The biggest problem with Medicaid is that it has been deputized to do a lot of jobs it wasn't originally created for. Intended as a health insurance program for families on welfare and people with disabilities, Medicaid has gradually been stretched to cover for Congress's failure to deal with the millions of low-income American workers without health insurance, and the refusal of Medicare to pay for long-term nursing home care for the elderly." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

The Quality Cure? New York Times Magazine story on David Cutler, whose "diagnosis has shaken up the health-care-policy world. 'The real reason health-care reform has not succeeded,'' he has written, 'is that it is rooted in a misconception of what health-care reform should accomplish.' ... He says that most health-care spending is actually good. Spending has been rising, he says, because it delivers positive, and measurable, economic value, and because it can do more things that Americans want. Therefore, Cutler says, we should focus on improving the quality of care rather than on reducing our consumption of it. Rather than pay less, he wants to pay more wisely -- to encourage health-care providers to do more of what they should and less of what is wasteful." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Schools struggle with increased role (Vermont) Brattleboro Reformer story - "The number of children diagnosed with serious mental and emotional disorders increases every year, national and state data show. At the same time, changes in federal education laws require the public schools to find a seat for everyone who walks through the door. And while Vermont has developed innovative programs, pairing the state education system with the mental health department, the schools struggle with the increased role they are asked to play in caring for these children. Educators and administrators say that too many students are not receiving the proper care they need, and the schools are assuming more of a responsibility to deliver this care to children with serious mental illnesses and emotional disorders..."  
  

Culture plays role in mental health (Colorado)  Greeley Tribune story on Multicultural Services Program at North Range Behavioral Health - "The therapists speak both English and Spanish and were either born or have lived in a Latin American country. Since its opening in 2003, the program has treated hundreds of Weld County Latinos who weren't comfortable at other treatment centers, said program director Becky Marrujo. Marrujo and her crew deliver mental health counseling to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. They also offer a parenting class. The patients range from new immigrants to Greeley residents and natives. The clients share a common desire to get treatment from therapists who speak their language and understand their culture. According to the 2000 Census, Weld County has more than 48,000 Latinos, the majority from Mexico."  
  

Children face uphill battle for mental health care (Massachusetts) Sentinel & Enterprise story - "Some parents say they are waiting 16 to 32 hours in the HealthAlliance Hospital/Leominster Emergency Room just to have their children who are suffering from mental illness seen by an evaluator. And after all that waiting, even the luckiest children -- some very young -- may be shipped hours away from home to the nearest available hospital bed. Parent advocates, officials and hospital staff acknowledge the difficulty of finding inpatient psychiatric care for children and teens. They say it affects residents statewide -- not just in Leominster and Fitchburg. The lack of beds comes down to a lack of money..."