Regulations & Legislation | Behavioral Health Today

National Governors Association Names Health Care Sustainability Task Force

News Release: May 21, 2013

WASHINGTON—As lawmakers at both state and federal levels of government look for ways to improve the quality of health care and reduce the costs of public programs, governors are developing innovative Medicaid programs and must retain flexibility to implement these measures.

To assist in these efforts, the National Governors Association [...]

Administration announces $1 billion initiative to launch Health Care Innovation Awards to provide better health care and lower costs

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

News Division - 202-690-6343 media@hhs.gov www.hhs.gov/news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a nearly $1 billion initiative that will fund awards and evaluation to build on the Obama administration’s work to transform the health care system by delivering better care [...]

FIRST MHPAEA LAWSUIT A WIN FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.

The United States District Court for the District of Vermont Tuesday became the first court in the country to interpret the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) – and the decision is favorable to mental health patients. In C. M. v. Fletcher Allen Health Care, Inc., plaintiff C. M. challenges her health [...]

2013 National Drug Control Strategy Released!

On April 24, 2013, National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske released the President’s national blueprint for drug policy, the 2013 National Drug Control Strategy. This document builds on drug policy reform achieved during the past three years, beginning with the Administration’s inaugural Strategy, released in 2010. This Strategy calls for drug policy reform rooted [...]

Essential Community Providers: Tips to Connect with Health Insurance Marketplace Plans

Starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will result in over 20 million people enrolling in private insurance coverage through health insurance marketplaces (or exchanges). These private plans, called “Qualified Health Plans” (QHP) must meet standards for inclusion of “Essential Community Providers” (ECPs) in their provider networks. ECPs serve predominantly low-income, medically underserved [...]

New Report: Creating Synergy between the Money Follows the Person and Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Programs

Mathematica has released a new report that can be reviewed here

Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration grants and Managed Long-Term Services and Support (MLTSS) programs use different strategies to shift the balance of LTSS from institutional care to home- and community-based settings. MFP helps people living in institutions to relocate to the community, while [...]

Essential Health Benefits: Great Coup or Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing?

Patrick Gauthier

While it’s true the Final Rule released recently concerning Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) has some very positive features, it is also true that the Rule doesn’t do all that the mental health and substance use disorders treatment fields needed or wanted. The Rule does require that benchmark and qualifying health plans (QHPs) [...]

White House Report: State-by-State Impacts of Sequestration on Behavioral Health

Last night the White House released state-by-state reports on the impact the sequester will have on a host of different economic and social domains. Impacts on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders are evident. Below is the link to each state report:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida [...]

Parity in the ACA Expands Coverage for 62 Million Americans

ASPE ISSUE BRIEF Affordable Care Act Expands Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits and Federal Parity Protections for 62 Million Americans February 20, 2013 By: Kirsten Beronio, Rosa Po, Laura Skopec, Sherry Glied The Affordable Care Act builds on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 to extend federal parity [...]

White House Fact Sheet: How the Sequester Would Impact Health & Behavioral Health

The White House – Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release – February 08, 2013 The Following is a Sampling of Information Found Here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job

Unless Congress acts by March 1st, a series of automatic cuts—called a sequester—that threaten thousands of jobs and the economic security of the middle class will take effect. There is [...]

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