Thursday, May 26, 2005

States find wiggle room in budgets USA Today story - "Ohio is considering a major overhaul of its tax system. California is borrowing less. Connecticut expects to continue health care for 13,000 working parents who were set to lose coverage. A rush of money into state budgets is reshaping what's happening in legislatures across the USA. ... States continue to face long-term financial pressure from the soaring cost of Medicaid, the state-federal program that provided medical insurance for 57 million low-income people last year. State spending on Medicaid rose 8.1% to $119 billion in 2004, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services." The story highlights budget actions in Arizona, California, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. See also States take in record $600B at the same source.  
  

Court questions how TennCare will cut (Tennessee) Story in The Tennessean - "A three-judge federal appeals court panel closely questioned lawyers yesterday about plans to cut the TennCare rolls. At issue in the case before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is not whether TennCare cuts go forward, but rather, how. The judges, who have said they will issue a ruling in the case by June 1, specifically questioned lawyers yesterday about two issues: Do plans to cut TennCare rolls give people enough of a chance to make their case if they believe they're being cut from the program by mistake? and  Are state plans to assist a subgroup of TennCare enrollees to be cut — those with severe and persistent mental illnesses — adequate in ushering them through the process?" See also More staff, doctors part of TennCare safety net at the same source.  
  

Mental health patients to be treated for substance abuse (Oklahoma) Tahlequah Daily Press story - "Tahlequah area mental health and substance abuse providers may be well on their way to offering a better form of treatment to their clients. Staff from Bill Willis Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center in Tahlequah attended a workshop Tuesday on the topic of co-occurring disorders, which involves people who suffer from both mental health and substance abuse problems. The full-day workshop featured two nationally recognized speakers, Dr. Christie Cline and Dr. Kenneth Minkoff, as well as Oklahoma Department of Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Services co-occurring Program Specialist L.D. Barney."  
  

Mental health insurance requirement becomes law (South Carolina) AP story at Myrtle Beach Online - "Health insurers in South Carolina will be required to include coverage for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses under a new law. Gov. Mark Sanford allowed the legislation to become law without his signature Tuesday night. The legislation doesn't cover drug or alcohol addiction treatments and would not be required on policies for businesses with 50 or fewer workers. But they would be required to cover treatments for illnesses ranging from bipolar disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder to adolescent and childhood depression. The legislation is similar to laws now on the books in 33 states, according to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of South Carolina..."  
  

Local legislator pushes mental health reform (North Carolina) Citizen-Times story on recently introduced legislation that would "...require the state Health and Human Services Department to create an online registry of available mental health beds. This would allow case managers, social service workers and law enforcement officers dealing with involuntary commitments to go online and see what services were available. ... The state Health and Human Services Department opposes the legislation. In a May 24 letter to Apodaca, Mike Moseley, the director of the state Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, said that Apodaca’s solution might not solve the problem," as nothing in the bill "requires all facilities to cooperate with the registry."  
  

Unprecedented Florida Medicaid Changes Risks Patient Health, APA Says US Newswire press release - "In response to Florida's enactment of harmful new Medicaid legislation, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released the following statement today on behalf of John Bailey, D.O., president of the Florida Psychiatric Society, and APA Medical Director James H. Scully Jr., M.D.: Today the American Psychiatric Association warned that Florida's enactment of new Medicaid legislation puts people with mental illness at serious risk. The unprecedented and most harmful aspect of the law is a requirement that -- each year -- a patient must first fail on the cheapest mandated medications before the patient is given access to the medication his or her physician believes is optimal, even where the patient has been successfully treated with the physician-chosen medication. This major health policy setback will help ensure that patients are less likely to get relief from their illness, less likely to experience full remission, and more at risk for adverse outcomes and devastating side effects. Worse, Florida - a bellwether state on Medicaid policy - could ignite a nationwide trend toward public health policies that are regressive and clearly not formulated with patient welfare in mind. Florida's cost-savings expectations will prove illusory at the expense of a vulnerable population..."  
  

Bill could help families find kin in mental health facilities (Oregon) Story in The Oregonian on state Senate Bill 1064, which "would require the Oregon Department of Human Services to tell patients in mental-health facilities that a family member is trying to contact them. The Senate Committee on Health Policy unanimously approved the measure Wednesday, moving the bill to the Senate for a vote. There was no organized opposition. The bill would allow families to register with the department as wanting to find a patient. The department then would notify patients and allow them to choose, with a guardian or representative's help if needed, whether to re-establish family contact. Families testifying before the committee said finding mentally ill loved ones is often a long and difficult process."