Regulations & Legislation | Behavioral Health Today

HHS to Give States More Flexibility to Implement Health Reform – Impact Felt Among Essential Health Benefits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 16, 2011

Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 Approach will help ensure consumers have quality, affordable coverage starting in 2014

The Department of Health and Human Services today released a bulletin outlining proposed policies that will give states more flexibility and freedom to implement the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable [...]

Release of FAQs on 42 CFR Part 2

Release from SAMHSA – December 9, 2011

Protecting the confidentiality of people receiving substance abuse treatment services is of paramount importance. While assuring proper safeguards for privacy, it is also critical that information can be properly shared to help physical health and substance abuse practitioners provide the best care possible for individuals receiving treatment [...]

The Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) Issues Parity FAQs

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) supplemented the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA). Generally, MHPAEA specifies that the financial requirements and treatment limitations imposed on mental health and substance use disorder benefits cannot be more restrictive than the predominant financial requirements and treatment limitations that apply to [...]

AMA Adopts New Policies: Support for Health Insurance Exchanges and a Call to Stop ICD-10 in its Tracks

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization, voted today during the closing session of its semi-annual policy-making meeting to adopt the following new policies:

Guidelines for Health Insurance Exchanges

The AMA today adopted new policies on the health insurance exchanges created by the [...]

Supreme Court to Hear Health Care Reform in Spring

In what is very likely good news for the future of the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court announced today that it will hear arguments and weigh in on the constitutionality of Health Care Reform. At issue is the mandate that individuals be insured and whether or not the Federal government can require such [...]

IOM’s Recommended “Essential Health Benefits” Risk Minimal Behavioral Health Benefits

Source: Behavioral Healthcare – Issue Date: Online Exclusive 10/27/11

The Essential Health Benefit: Will Essential Become Minimal? “Nearsighted” IOM recommendations fail to consider long-term value of behavioral health benefits

by Ron Manderscheid, PhD

While every element of health reform in the United States is important to the future of mental health and substance [...]

Medicare Covers Screening and Counseling for Alcohol Misuse and Screening for Depression

The new coverage policies add new preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2011 Contact: CMS Media Relations Group (202) 690-6145

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced two new national coverage determinations that cover alcohol misuse screening and behavioral counseling for Medicare beneficiaries as well as screening for depression. [...]

CMS Announces Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative

The Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative is a new CMS-led, multi-payer initiative fostering collaboration between public and private health care payers to strengthen primary care for all Americans. Primary care is critical to promoting health, improving care, and reducing overall system costs, but it has been historically under-funded and under-valued in the United [...]

Legal Action Center Summary: Senate Appropropriations Committee Approves FY 2012 Labor HHS Bill

Prepared by Gabrielle de la Gueronniere, JD, Director for National Policy, Legal Action Center/National HIRE Network

Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their FY 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill by a 16 to 14 party-line vote. Under the funding bill, most SAMHSA programs would receive funding level [...]

Affordable Care Act helps one million additional young adults get health insurance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2011 Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 New data: Affordable Care Act helps one million additional young adults get health insurance

Today, the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data illustrating that the Affordable Care Act has helped increase [...]

Recent Posts