[NYAPRS Enews] Bazelon March National Policy Update

[Harvey Rosenthal]

Bazelon Center Mental Health Policy Reporter


Volume VIIII, No. 2, March 11, 2010

 


It's Time to Say "Yes" to Health Care Reform, Medicaid Assistance,
Mental Health and Criminal Justice Program Support and More


The big story, of course, is health reform, with bills in both House and
Senate that include many improvements
<http://www.bazelon.org/issues/healthreform/index.htm>  in mental health
coverage. The scenario is tricky but the President has said he hopes to
see a final bill and a reconciliation "fix" by March 18. In response to
clamoring from hard-pressed states, Medicaid assistance is also moving
ahead. Funding is also needed for the mental health and criminal justice
collaboration program and for the mental health block grant; advocates
can help by urging their lawmakers to express support for these critical
appropriations.


 


Health Care Reform


Key House and Senate Democratic leaders and White House officials are
moving closer to agreement on a final health care reform package. In a
complex scenario, the House would pass the bill the Senate passed on
December 24, which would go to the President for signature. The House
would also pass a package of changes as a reconciliation bill. The
Senate would pass this same reconciliation bill, which would then be
sent to the President for his signature.  

On March 11, Majority Leader Harry Reid sent Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell a letter
<http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/reporter/2010/Reidletter3-10.pdf>
explaining a path for health care reform. Senator Reid said he will seek
a Democratic, up-or-down simple majority vote to revise the health
reform bill already passed by a supermajority of 60 Senators last
December. Reid also reiterated the commitment of Senate Democrats to
deliver meaningful health reform that will ensure access to quality,
affordable health care for all Americans.   
Details of a final package and a Congressional Budget Office cost
estimate are anxiously awaited as the finish line draws closer. Both
bills integrate mental health with health care and include provisions
that will be helpful to children and adults with psychiatric
disabilities (see the Bazelon Center's summaries on our health
<http://www.bazelon.org/issues/healthreform/index.htm>  care reform
page). . 

Last month, President Obama spent a day with Democratic and Republic
congressional leaders in a televised health care summit. The President
also released a $95-billion plan based on the Senate bill, which
included a summary of changes to help shape a compromise between the
House- and Senate-passed bills with some Republican-supported proposals.

The reconciliation process allows for a simple majority vote rather than
requiring 60 votes for passage. See the Alliance
<http://www.allhealth.org/publications/Uninsured/Budget_Reconciliation_T
oolkit_95.pdf>  for Health Reform's summary of reconciliation; an
article by the Center on <http://www.cbpp.org/files/1-26-10health.pdf>
Budget and Policy Priorities that explains how it is not a misused
process and the Center
<http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/math_is_clear.html>  for
American Progress report that details the nation's long-term budget
deficit problems as entirely a health care problem. 

The Bazelon Center continues to fully support enactment of health care
reform legislation this year and calls on members of Congress to say
"yes" to health care reform.  


 


Medicaid Aid to States


On March 10, the Senate passed a $140-billion bill extending through
June 2011 the increase in federal Medicaid funding to states, known as
FMAP, that was initially approved in the Recovery Act (P.L. 111-5) and
set to expire December 31.  The American Workers, State, and Business
Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213) passed by a 62-36 bipartisan vote.
Referred to as the tax-extender package, also includes among its many
provisions a year-end extension of unemployment insurance and COBRA
health insurance tax credits to assist people suffering from the
nation's continuing employment woes.  

The House passed a similar extension of the enhanced FMAP in December in
a $150-billion jobs bill that was not acted on in the Senate. Both
chambers continue to work a series of "job creation" bills. The
Senate-passed bill will now go to the House for consideration.

Medicaid is a vital source of funding for the public mental health
system. It enables adults and children with severe mental disorders to
obtain the intensive community mental health services they need and is a
health care safety net for low-income Americans, including those with
disabilities. Extension of the FMAP increase would help states with
budget strains due to the economic recession avoid dreaded disruptions
in eligibility and enrollments.


 


Mental Health and Criminal Justice


Now is the time to build support for the Mentally Ill
<http://www.bazelon.org/issues/criminalization/MIOTCRA.html>  Offender
Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) grant program, administered
by the Department of Justice. Congress has begun its fiscal year 2011
appropriations process and it is important to maintain or increase
funding, especially given the high demand for grants.  Of the 250 grant
applications submitted in 2006, only 11 percent were funded. The same
proportion of the 211 applicants in 2008 received grants. 

Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Todd Platts (R-PA), Bobby Scott
(D-VA) and J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) are encouraging colleagues to support
continued funding of the MIOTCRA program in the fiscal 2011
appropriations cycle. They have disseminated a letter
<http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/reporter/2010/MIOTCRAletter3-10.doc>
to the Chairman Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and  Ranking Member Frank Wolf
(R-VA) of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
Science and Related Agencies and seek endorsements for it. The deadline
for members of the House of Representatives to sign on to the letter is
March 15. 


What You Can Do


Contact <http://www.bazelon.org/takeaction/How_to_Contact_Lawmakers.htm>
your Representative and urge him or her to sign on to the letter before
the March 15 deadline. 

MIOTCRA is now funded at $12 million and provides a range of strategies
communities can implement, including law enforcement training, diversion
and transitional services. 

Additionally, the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA) is now accepting applications for fiscal year 2010
funding for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
<http://63.97.74.131/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/
BJA/grant/10JMHCPsol.pdf>  until April 8. For more information about
this funding opportunity, visit
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/JMHCprogram.html
<http://63.97.74.131/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/
BJA/grant/JMHCprogram.html> . 


 


Mental Health Block Grant


The Mental Health Block Grant, administered by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is in need of a
financial lift. As the nation continues to struggle economically,
strains to the public mental health service system -- the safety net --
deepen. A survey by the National Association of State Mental Health
Program Directors Research Institute noted significant mental health
care funding cuts, which jeopardize community-based mental health
services at a time when demand for services is increasing. 

To help address the impact of the strained economy, Representative Paul
Tonko (D-NY) is asking his colleagues to support a $100-million increase
in funding for the program. His
<http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/reporter/2010/CMHSBGletter3-10.pdf>
letter will be sent to Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health
and Human Services and Education. 


What You Can Do


Contact <http://www.bazelon.org/takeaction/How_to_Contact_Lawmakers.htm>
your Representative and urge him or her to support Rep.
<http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/reporter/2010/CMHSBGletter3-10.pdf>
Tonko's letter by March 26. The letter is for your Representative to
sign onto in support of a $100-million increase to the mental health
block grant.

The block grant is currently funded at $421 million and provides
important community-based services to children and adults with severe
mental disabilities.


 


Newsbytes


U.S. Homelessness Council Announces Website for Comments 
The U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness has provided a site to allow
comments from the public for the proposed Federal Strategic Plan to End
Homelessness. Click here
<http://63.97.74.131/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ent.groundspring.o
rg/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker%26cmd=track%26j=312050083%26u=3489
290>  to submit ideas and vote on which ideas you prefer. The site ends
on Monday, March 15. 

U.S. Health System Not Meeting Needs of People Living With Chronic
Conditions 
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released an update of its 2002
chartbook, Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care. The
publication examines the impact of chronic conditions on individuals and
their caregivers, noting that people with multiple chronic conditions
use more health services from a system that doesn't meet their needs.
The report is available at http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=50968.

Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative Funds
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, has announced the availability of a funding opportunity for
national public or nonprofit organizations to help communities decrease
smoking and obesity, increase physical activity and improve nutrition,
as part of the Departments' Communities Putting Prevention to Work
initiative. The deadline is April 19 and you can apply at www.grants.gov
<http://www.grants.gov/>   More information can be obtained at
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/03/20100305a.html.

 

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