Healthcare Reform

Enacted on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (Pub.L. 111-148) is expected to expand health care coverage to an additional 32 million citizens and legal immigrants by 2019 through a combination of state-based private insurance exchanges and a Medicaid expansion. In addition, the new law includes a number of reforms to curb harmful insurance company practices as well as provisions to slow the growth of health care costs and improve quality of care.

Recent Work on the Affordable Care Act

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act: Moving Forward with Public Sector Reforms
Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Affordable Care Act implementation continues to move at both the state and federal levels. While important guidance is being developed and released by the Department of Health and Human Services, much of the focus has turned to the states who are anticipating the expansion of Medicaid coverage to the formerly uninsured between 100 and 133% of the federal poverty level as well as responding to several of the innovative programs included in the Act. Join this session to learn about how to be most effectively involved in the reforms to public systems at the state level. We will review Medicaid expansion efforts and demonstration projects for those who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare, and provide on-the-ground examples of advocacy efforts that can be employed in your state to help insure that mental health and addiction services are appropriately incorporated into the public health care systems in your community.

Presenters
Paul Gionfriddo, Our Health Policy Matters, FL (Download Presentation)
Andrew Sperling, JD, National Alliance on Mental Illness, VA (Download Presentation)
Rusty Selix, JD, Mental Health America of California, CA (Download Presentation)

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act - Private Market Expansion Efforts
Wednesday, September 19, 2012

2014 and the establishment of health insurance exchanges is right around the corner, and there is much to do to get this right. This session will explore ways advocates can be involved in the efforts to provide affordable health insurance to individuals and small businesses at the state level. We will review efforts to establish the Essential Benefits Package and create a structure for the Exchange, including issues of enrollment, participating plans, health information technology, and oversight. Practical examples of ways to be involved and influence the Exchange in your state will be provided.

Presenters
Dave Chandra, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, DC (Download Presentation)
Moe Keller, Mental Health America of Colorado, CO (Download Presentation)
Reggie Williams, Avalere Health, Washington, DC (Download Presentation)

Reactions to Supreme Court Ruling

Mental Health America hailed the ACA ruling as a tremendous victory. Read more at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/news/mental-health-america-hails-ruling-on-aca-as-a-tremendous-victory

Resources on Medicaid Managed Care Services

On May 7th, 2012, Mental Health America staff and guest speakers presented a webinar on Medicaid Managed Care Contracting. Materials for the webinar are below:

2011 Annual Conference Highlights

The 2011 Mental Health America Conference held at the Hyatt Regency from June 9th - 11th featured a healthcare reform advocacy track that included four sessions on:

Health Reform
State Exchanges
Medicaid Expansion
Advocacy Strategies

A summary of the presentations and downloadable powerpoints can be found here.