Mental Health America today hailed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” signed by the President. The legislation will greatly expand access to mental health care and addiction treatment—particularly for the 32 million previously uninsured Americans who will gain access as a result.
Treatment for these conditions is recognized as critical to overall health by being included on the list of essential benefits that must be covered in new plans offered to the uninsured.
“This health care reform legislation marks a tremendous step forward in our efforts to improve access to care for individuals with mental health or substance use conditions and in our advocacy for prevention of these conditions” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America.
The groundbreaking achievement last year with the enactment of the “Mental Health Parity and Addiction Treatment Act” (MHPAEA) firmly established that discriminatory limits on these conditions will no longer be permitted. Mental Health America is pleased to see the health care reform legislation carries this principle forward and extends the MHPAEA requirements beyond current law to health insurance plans offered to small businesses and individuals. These principles are also reflected in the expansion of Medicaid which would require those newly eligible to receive mental health and substance use services at parity with other benefits.
Access to care will also be improved due to insurance market reforms in this new law that will prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions, rescissions of coverage when people most need it, pricing premiums based on health status, and annual and lifetime limits on benefits.
The health care reform law will also establish a new requirement that coverage for dependent children must be available up to age 26 and will provide additional funding for school-based health clinics. Both provisions are critical in light of the fact that mental health conditions often strike during the adolescent and young adult years but most will not receive treatment until many years later, if at all.
Mental Health America places a high priority on prevention, particularly among children and youth, and thus we are please with the new requirements to cover preventive services as well as programs to support community-based prevention activities.
“We also strongly support the provision in this law that will eliminate the donut hole in the Medicare prescription medication coverage as Medicare is a crucial source of support for millions of people with behavioral health conditions,” Dr. Shern said.
Among the many other important new programs and reforms are initiatives to support education and training of additional mental health and addiction treatment providers and to improve coordination of care through a new state option for medical/health homes in Medicaid that includes individuals with serious mental health conditions among the priority populations.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Drug Switching
Forwarded from the Alliance for Patient Access(AfPA): I wanted to bring to your attention two new initiatives underway at AfPA. As you are aware, for several years AfPA has worked to raise awareness amongst physicians, patients and policymakers with respect to the issues surrounding therapeutic substitution or “drug switching”. To that end, AfPA launched yesterday a new educational Internet video to can be used by physicians to caution patients regarding potential risk associated with this practice. To view the video please visit http://www.allianceforpatientaccess.org/protect.php I would encourage you to share this link with patient advocates and others who might be able to put it to good use.
Alliance for Patient Access
www.AllianceforPatientAccess.org
Alliance for Patient Access
www.AllianceforPatientAccess.org
Returning Service Members: Reconnecting With Your Children
Returning Home
If you’re a returning service man or woman who is also a parent, you probably carried a mental picture of how your homecoming would be. It may have included your baby uttering his or her first “Daddy” or “Mama,” your toddler running towards you with outstretched arms, or your older child huddling close and begging to hear about your experiences. Such expectations may lead to disappointment. Because what sometimes happens is an initial display of happiness on the child ’s part followed by sulky, withdrawn or even hostile behavior.
To understand why this happens, you must first realize that even just a few months seem like a lifetime to a child, and children instinctively adjust to new situations. They adjusted to you not being around. Now, they need time to adjust to having you around again.
Your child’s reactions depend on his or her own personality, but there are several things that all returning parents should keep in mind:
• Tell your children how much you missed them and how happy you are to see them again. It may seem like they should know this, but they need to hear it from you.
• Praise them for helping out while you were gone. Children are unsure what to expect from a returning parent. For example, they may fear they will be punished for six months’ of bad behavior. They may also fear you’ll “abandon” them again. Put their minds at rest.
• Remember that change is just as stressful for children as it is for adults – probably more so because they have so little experience coping with it. Sometimes they act out. Remember this before you punish your child.
• Don’t expect the same behavior. He or she has grown physically, emotionally and socially. This is not the same child as when you left.
• Try to avoid power struggles with both your spouse and your children. Take it slowly as you, and they, readjust to your presence.
• Be patient. This period of transition will last several weeks – and it can be awkward. You can ease this by reviewing schoolwork, looking at family photos or asking your children about their activities.
• Allow them to express their feelings. Don’t try to force positive responses.
Preschoolers may act coolly toward you. Acting aggressively or disinterested is their way of showing their hurt and anger at you for leaving. This behavior, though unsettling, usually doesn’t last long. Just tell them how much you missed them, and how you’re looking forward to hearing about the things they did while you were away.
• You can use the same strategies with older children. Express interest in their schoolwork and social activities, and make them feel a part of your life by telling them about your own experiences. Older children usually understand war and deployment a little better than younger ones, but this doesn’t mean they didn’t miss you. Tell them how much you missed them.
Of Special Importance to New Fathers
If you were away for the birth or the first year of your baby’s life, you’ll be coming home to a whole new family. Be aware of the changes:
• You may feel jealous of the attention given to the infant or guilty for being away during the pregnancy and birth. Accept two facts: the separation was inevitable, and the infant’s needs demand attention. Take an active role in caring for the child as soon as possible.
• Baby’s needs come first, and they’re expensive. Be prepared for a much tighter budget.
• Other children may feel lost with all the changes and need help coping. Make sure to spend quality time with your older children.
Of Special Importance to Single Parents
In addition to the joy and stress all parents feel when returning to children after a long absence, single parents may feel particularly anxious about the bond formed by the child and the temporary caregiver. How will it affect their relationship with both of them? Here are some tips:
• Communicate openly and frequently with both the caregiver and the child.
• Involve the caregiver in the transition. Forcing the child to suddenly separate can be just as traumatic as when you left.
• Ask how things were done while you were gone. It will help you plan how to ease your child back into your rules and schedules.
• Ask your child about his or her feelings regarding your “new” relationship and how life at home should be. The changes in caregivers and living arrangements may make children feel as though they have no control over their lives. Assure them that you will be a family again.
For more information, contact Mental Health America of San Diego County at 619-543-0412.
If you’re a returning service man or woman who is also a parent, you probably carried a mental picture of how your homecoming would be. It may have included your baby uttering his or her first “Daddy” or “Mama,” your toddler running towards you with outstretched arms, or your older child huddling close and begging to hear about your experiences. Such expectations may lead to disappointment. Because what sometimes happens is an initial display of happiness on the child ’s part followed by sulky, withdrawn or even hostile behavior.
To understand why this happens, you must first realize that even just a few months seem like a lifetime to a child, and children instinctively adjust to new situations. They adjusted to you not being around. Now, they need time to adjust to having you around again.
Your child’s reactions depend on his or her own personality, but there are several things that all returning parents should keep in mind:
• Tell your children how much you missed them and how happy you are to see them again. It may seem like they should know this, but they need to hear it from you.
• Praise them for helping out while you were gone. Children are unsure what to expect from a returning parent. For example, they may fear they will be punished for six months’ of bad behavior. They may also fear you’ll “abandon” them again. Put their minds at rest.
• Remember that change is just as stressful for children as it is for adults – probably more so because they have so little experience coping with it. Sometimes they act out. Remember this before you punish your child.
• Don’t expect the same behavior. He or she has grown physically, emotionally and socially. This is not the same child as when you left.
• Try to avoid power struggles with both your spouse and your children. Take it slowly as you, and they, readjust to your presence.
• Be patient. This period of transition will last several weeks – and it can be awkward. You can ease this by reviewing schoolwork, looking at family photos or asking your children about their activities.
• Allow them to express their feelings. Don’t try to force positive responses.
Preschoolers may act coolly toward you. Acting aggressively or disinterested is their way of showing their hurt and anger at you for leaving. This behavior, though unsettling, usually doesn’t last long. Just tell them how much you missed them, and how you’re looking forward to hearing about the things they did while you were away.
• You can use the same strategies with older children. Express interest in their schoolwork and social activities, and make them feel a part of your life by telling them about your own experiences. Older children usually understand war and deployment a little better than younger ones, but this doesn’t mean they didn’t miss you. Tell them how much you missed them.
Of Special Importance to New Fathers
If you were away for the birth or the first year of your baby’s life, you’ll be coming home to a whole new family. Be aware of the changes:
• You may feel jealous of the attention given to the infant or guilty for being away during the pregnancy and birth. Accept two facts: the separation was inevitable, and the infant’s needs demand attention. Take an active role in caring for the child as soon as possible.
• Baby’s needs come first, and they’re expensive. Be prepared for a much tighter budget.
• Other children may feel lost with all the changes and need help coping. Make sure to spend quality time with your older children.
Of Special Importance to Single Parents
In addition to the joy and stress all parents feel when returning to children after a long absence, single parents may feel particularly anxious about the bond formed by the child and the temporary caregiver. How will it affect their relationship with both of them? Here are some tips:
• Communicate openly and frequently with both the caregiver and the child.
• Involve the caregiver in the transition. Forcing the child to suddenly separate can be just as traumatic as when you left.
• Ask how things were done while you were gone. It will help you plan how to ease your child back into your rules and schedules.
• Ask your child about his or her feelings regarding your “new” relationship and how life at home should be. The changes in caregivers and living arrangements may make children feel as though they have no control over their lives. Assure them that you will be a family again.
For more information, contact Mental Health America of San Diego County at 619-543-0412.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Letter to the Editor: San Diego Union Tribune
Treating the disease of mental illness vs. incarceration
San Diego moves forward to address the escalating number of contacts between individuals with serious mental illnesses and the criminal justice system, as announced in the article by Greg Moran “First person sentenced in program for mentally ill” (March 1). As CEO of Mental Health America of San Diego County, I applaud our criminal justice and behavioral health system’s efforts to break the cycle of worsening mental illness and criminal behavior that begins with the failure of the community mental health system and is accelerated by the inadequacy of treatment in prisons and jails; and to provide effective treatment options instead of the usual criminal sanctions for offenders with mental illnesses. Certainly, not every crime committed by an individual diagnosed with a mental illness is attributable to disability or to the failure of public mental health. But homelessness, unemployment and a lack of access to meaningful treatment services have clearly put many people with mental illnesses at risk of arrest.
Scott Suckow
San Diego
San Diego moves forward to address the escalating number of contacts between individuals with serious mental illnesses and the criminal justice system, as announced in the article by Greg Moran “First person sentenced in program for mentally ill” (March 1). As CEO of Mental Health America of San Diego County, I applaud our criminal justice and behavioral health system’s efforts to break the cycle of worsening mental illness and criminal behavior that begins with the failure of the community mental health system and is accelerated by the inadequacy of treatment in prisons and jails; and to provide effective treatment options instead of the usual criminal sanctions for offenders with mental illnesses. Certainly, not every crime committed by an individual diagnosed with a mental illness is attributable to disability or to the failure of public mental health. But homelessness, unemployment and a lack of access to meaningful treatment services have clearly put many people with mental illnesses at risk of arrest.
Scott Suckow
San Diego
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