News: Repealing Health Reform: For Heritage Action, It Would Be A 'Grand Slam'
Repeal of the health reform law is gaining traction among Republican lawmakers who have gathered 170 signatures. Leading the campaign is the Heritage Foundation, arguing that the majority of Americans have rejected health during the debate, and more so since it was signed, and is willing to wait until Republicans can effect a reversal. Kaiser Health News interviewed Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action for America.
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News: Congress Questions Military Leaders on Suicides, Traumatic Brain Injury
Reprinted from ProPublica WASHINGTON, D.C.--Senators pressed senior military leaders last week to improve their efforts to address traumatic brain injuries, suicide and other wounds suffered by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Responding to what he called "disconcerting" reports by NPR and ProPublica, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the military needed to better address the wide range of medical and behavioral problems affecting troops. . .
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News: Passing health reform energizes advocates
Historic, jubilant, transformative were among the adjectives enunciated in the on-going celebrations of Sunday's historic pass of health reform in America. Recalling his mother who battled insurance companies on her deathbed, Pres. Barack Obama said passing this law represents the "core principles that everybody should have security." . .
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News: Patrick Kennedy explains decision not to seek re-election

Track Legislation: Preventing restraints of children -- HR 4247 -- gets bi-partisan committee support.
House Committee on Education and Labor passed HR 4247, a measure opposing restraints and seclusion of children in schools. The bill had widespread support and passed with a bi-partisan vote of 34 to 10 including 5 Republicans. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) has been shepherding this issue. A report from the Government Accounting Office (GAO) about abuses in residential treatment programs was issued in 2008 and you can download it here....
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News: Soldier suicides prompts senator's inquiry

News: Historic House health reform bill squeeks by

News: Mental health in health reform
Advocacy organizations are getting behind the House bill for health reform (HR 3962) citing benefits to those with a mental illness or addictive disorder. Organizations such as AARP and the American Medical Association, announced . . .
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News: House packages hate crimes bill with defense spending
The House tucked language for a hate-crime bill (HR 2647) including disabilities into the $680 authorization bill for the Pentagon and Department of Defense spending. . .
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News: Loathsome prison conditions for mentally ill

News: Parity protection requires regulations

Consider This: Is talk of rationing a three-dollar bill?
. . .rationing in mental health
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News: Committee probes drug industry-education ties

News: Parity sets stage for reform, says Kennedy

News: Mental health care needs reform and repair
"Behavioral health services are often the first place cuts in coverage are made," said Mental Health America's CEO, David Shern. . .
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News: Lawmakers financially invested in health sector
The release of financial forms on Friday revealed extensive holdings in health care industries by congressional leaders. Total holdings, including those of 30 key leaders, could total $27 million, says The Washington Post. This includes stocks, health-care index funds, and family earnings from serving on industry boards. According to the New York Times "Neither Mr. Baucus, from a ranching family, nor Mr. Grassley, a farmer, have major health-related holdings."...
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News: Integratating mental health and substance use in reform

Track Legislation: Stabenow introduces bill (S1136) to close treatment gap
Michigan's Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) introduced a bill to open the door for seriously mentally ill people, now receiving Medicaid, to get comprehensive care in 10 participating states. The Mental Illness Chronic Care Improvement Act (S 1136) is a demonstration program with the potential to close a treatment gap by linking to primary care. Diabetes and heart disease are among the chronic conditions afflicting people with a mental illness and shortening life and Stabenow's proposal recognizes the existing system has...
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News: Grassley stays on Finance Committee for now
Speculation about what Sen. Charles Grassley would do as a result of what CQ called the "post-Specter shuffle," ended earlier today. The Hill announced a deal had been reached with Grassley, the ranking Republican from Iowa finishing the 111th Congress to work on the Finance Committee as it tackles health reform, while the more conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions jumps seniority to become top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Grassley has been steadfastly pursuing conflicts-of-interest in medicine, hitting psychiatry and nonprofit...
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News: Defining PTSD and combat burden
In uncommon combat where injuries do not always take place on a formal battlefield, criteria for assessing combat-related disability may be outdated. A bill to change the meaning of "combat with the enemy" (HR 952) was introduced by Rep. John J. Hall (D-NY) who opened congressional hearings by noting "an unnecessary burden on veterans diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD and other conditions - to prove their combat stressors."...
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News: Another try to regulate tobacco
A bill (HR 1256) to allow the FDA to regulate smoking is long overdue said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Cal.). The powerful committee chairman signed up 124 co-sponsors for a smoking prevention bill which he introduced on March 3. (It is similar to a bill (HR 1108) the House passed last year.) Despite support for regulating nicotine, some doubt the FDA is capable of regulating this industry, and critics fear the intent is to eliminate rather than control nicotine. Smoking is...
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News: Prevention programs at risk in stimulus bill
More than 170 advocacy organizations are hoping the stimulus package will restore prevention and wellness to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. To pare down the bill's size, the Senate stripped $5.8 billion for about 20,000 public health jobs along with services they deliver. A copy of the letter is available at Trust for America's Health....
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News: Mental health proposals trapped in stimulus gridlock
Debate over the stimulus package includes proposals to cut recovery oriented programs important to people with a disability including those with a mental illness. This includes $5.185 billion for prevention and wellness (including $1 billion for diabetes screening and detection); elimination of the $1.5 billion for community health centers. Talking Points Memo posted the bi-partisan proposal offered by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb) which enumerates the compromise plan....
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Consider This: Rehearsal for health reform
. . .the stimulus package
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Track Legislation: Universal Health Insurance
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) introduced again a bill for single-payer, universal health insurance for comprehensive care. The bill specifies easy registration, a list of comprehensive services, and details about how service providers can participate and will be paid. HR 676 explicitly addresses mental health: (a) In General- The Program shall provide coverage for all medically necessary mental health care on the same basis as the coverage for other conditions. Licensed mental health clinicians shall be paid in the same manner...
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News: Daschle nomination now controversial
The Senate Finance Committee will meet later today to discuss the nomination of Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services after disclosures about failure to pay taxes and his consulting relationships, including those with insurance companies such as UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth is carrier for Medicare Advantage, and Daschle said he will recuse himself from decisions affecting companies he represented. Expectations are that he will be confirmed for the cabinet position of Health and Human Services, but after a...
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News: SCHIP passes House
The House voted 289 to 139 to approve children's health insurance, extending coverage to another 4 million kids in families earning up to 300 percent above the poverty level and lifting a time limit on documented immigrant children. If it rides through the Senate as easily, it could well be the first bill the new president finds on his desk awaiting signature. Congress failed to override two vetoes from President Bush last year....
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Consider This: Goodwin under the bus
. . .and journalism ethics?
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News: Grassley widens probe
The name of another prominent psychiatrist has been added to the list of expert physicians identified by Sen. Chuck Grassley because of lucrative speaking fees from pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Frederick Goodwin, recognized expert on bipolar disorder, former head of the National Institute of Mental Health, and current host of the popular NPR radio show, The Infinite Mind, was the subject of a story in Slate in May. Goodwin has apparently received more than one million dollars from just one drug...
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News: Congress moves to reform health
Sen. Max Baucus Congress is wasting no time in setting its health reform agenda or letting letting President-Elect Obama know its priorities. In the Senate, Montana's Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is spearheading a substantial project, including a comprehensive report calling for widespread reform of health care: "The link between health care costs and the economy is undeniable. Reforming the health care system is essential to restoring America's overall economy and the financial security of our working...
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News: Parity a civil rights issue says Domenici
Sen. Pete Domenici Time Magazine speaks with Sen. Pete Domenici, early proponent of eliminating insurance barriers for mental health and substance use treatments which became part of the $700 billion rescue package. Domenici learned of the bias in treating mental disorders first hand as the parent of a daughter diagnosed with schizophrenia....
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News: Psychiatrist under investigation resigns
Dr. Charles Nemeroff, under investigation for violating federal regulations to guarantee unbiased research while receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health, resigned as chair of department of psychiatry at Emory University. The resignation follows a New York Times story, and conversation in the blogs, about $2.8 million in fees he has received from different pharmaceutical companies. Although Emory had advised him to keep his consulting fees under $10,000, and Nemeroff presumably agreed, he did not. The university was reminded...
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Consider This: PARITY PASSES -- Kudos
. . .Next steps essential
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Track Legislation: Parity bill goes back to House
The Senate voted to approve the rescue bill which contained the mental health parity bill. Now the package returns to the House. See Update on parity...
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News: Update on parity
Mental health parity was tucked into the Senate's $700 billion revised rescue package which passed 74 to 25 on Wednesday evening. The package returns to the House where Rep. Jim Ramstad told reporters that the inclusion of parity will influence his vote. Parity has been a signature issue for Ramstad who was among the 122 Republicans voting against the bill....
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News: Little time left for parity bill
With little time left for passage of mental health parity, an editorial in the New York Times calls for "a statesman who can push this worthy parity legislation through to final passage before adjournment." Despite overwhelming support, the bill remains deadlocked over recouping tax revenues in the next decade. Health policy expert, Dr. Howard Goldman, explains why parity matters....
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News: Little time left for parity bill
With little time left for passage of mental health parity, an editorial in the New York Times calls for "a statesman who can push this worthy parity legislation through to final passage before adjournment." Despite overwhelming support, the bill remains deadlocked over recouping tax revenues in the next decade. Health policy expert, Dr. Howard Goldman, explains why parity matters....
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News: House passes parity
By a vote of 376 to 47, the House passed insurance parity. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), one of the sponsors applauded the negotiations leading to the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (H.R. 6983), saying it would end "the cruel and unnecessary stigma associated with mental illness and substance abuse."...
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Consider This: Parity in peril
. . .Congress should act
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News: Rally for parity
A rally drew advocates to call attention to time running out to pass a bill ending insurance discrimination for 113 milion people with mental health and addictive disorders. Here Rep. Betty McCullom (D-Mn) makes the case for what happens to families who must use the emergency room because insurance they lack insurance or veterans are handed a "1-800 number." The proposed legislation makes insurance coverage equal for physician and hospital payments when employers offer policies for physical health. Reps....
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News: Waxman questions pharma influence on FDA
Rep. Henry Waxman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Cal), chair of the House oversight committee, asked FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to explain how priorities were established which seemed to have tipped from protecting consumers to protecting drug companies. He cites employees for whom the agency has become a revolving door to pharma, asserts the agency protects drug makers instead of the consumers, and asks for clarification about distribution of journal articles and preemptions for medical devices. Waxman's concerns about preemptions...
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News: Waxman questions pharma influence on FDA
Rep. Henry Waxman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Cal), chair of the House oversight committee, asked FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to explain how priorities were established which seemed to have tipped from protecting consumers to protecting drug companies. He cites employees for whom the agency has become a revolving door to pharma, asserts the agency protects drug makers instead of the consumers, and asks for clarification about distribution of journal articles and preemptions for medical devices. Waxman's concerns about preemptions...
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News: Rally planned for parity
With the air going out of this year's Congress, and the fate of parity insurance less certain despite bipartisan and bicameral support, 250 groups are planning a morning rally on Sept. 17.Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) are scheduled to speak. Sponsors hope the 10-year battle to end insurance discrimination for many will be achieved before the retirement of Sen. Pete Dominici (R-NM) who has been long associated with insurance reform....
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News: Responding to responders: who is responsible?
The federal government's responsibility for meeting health care problems resulting from 9.11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City were addressed in hearings held yesterday. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, (D-NY) was among the witnesses to testify about the nation's responsibility, not just New York's, in meeting the physical and mental health needs of responders. Uncertain federal funding has compromised treatment options, including special programs set up for firefighters and police. Maloney lambasted the Bush administration for discharging Dr....
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News: Parity for Medicare mental health
By an overwhelming majority in both houses, Congress reversed a bias built into the 1965 law for seniors when it overturned a presidential veto of a Medicare bill. It will take six years for the rates to drop from the current 50 percent to the same 20 percent older Americans pay for physical health, but the reversal is a symbolic and a real achievement and was the focus of intense lobbying by advocacy and consumer organizations. In addition to establishing...
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News: Conflicts of interest pinpointed again
The relationship between psychiatry and pharma is getting renewed attention as a result of Sen. Charles Grassley's ongoing investigation. The probe began in June focusing on three pediatric psychiatrists whose incomes had been greatly supplanted by a multitude of consulting relationships. An article in Saturday's New York Times focused on "Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg of Stanford, whose $4.8 million stock holdings in a drug development company raised the senator’s concern." Schatzberg is president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association. On Friday,...
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News: The year of insurance parity
Negotiations over a law for mental health insurance parity appear to be ending, according to a mid-day report from CQ Politics. This ends a 15-year drive to end discrimination, and caps the careers of two of its congressional sponsors. A sticking point was allegedly resolved when Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad (who is retiring from Congress), dropped requirements making diagnosis for psychiatric and substance abuse disorders depend on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The Senate's bill,...
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News: Senate ends Medicare fillibuster
The Senate delivered a veto-proof, bipartisan vote to end a Republican filibuster, end discrimination in paying for mental health services, and prevent a 10.6% cut to doctors paid by Medicare. The vote of 69 to 30 saw 18 Republicans cross over. The only person not voting was Sen. John McCain who said that had he been present, he would have joined the other 30 Republicans. The emotion of this vote, which supporters failed to deliver two weeks ago, was...
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News: Focusing on young adult needs
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR, picture) and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) led their respective chambers in drafting legislation to protect young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 with a serious mental health disorder. The goal for an estimated 2.4 million people living in the community is to help them build "the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure their healthy transition to successful adult roles and responsibilities." Last week a Government Accounting Office (GAO) report, Young Adults with...
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Track Legislation: S 3195
"A bill to provide assistance to adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders as they transition to adulthood," was introduced by Sen. Gordon Smith on June 25, 2008.
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News: Senate fails to halt Medicare cuts
The Senate failed (58-40) to avert cuts for payments to physicians caring for Medicare recipients, raising the prospect that doctors will drop out of the system. On Tuesday payments amounting to a reduction of 10.6 percent go into effect. Even if the bill (S. 3101) passed, as did one in the House, President Bush threatened a veto because it included reducing payments to private insurance companies participating in Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage profitable The Senate's vote came on the heels...
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News: Judge dismisses VA case
A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a case charging that the VA had systematically shown disregard in treating veterans. Judge Samuel Conti acknowledged delays in processing or treating vets, but returned the problem to congressional oversight. This ended the non-jury trial brought by veteran groups. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) issued a statement saying the Veterans' Affairs Committee will revisit the VA delivery system....
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News: House holds on Medicare
By an overwhelming vote of 355 to 59 the House passed a bill (H.R. 6331) stopping cuts to Medicare's physician providers and ended the historic discrimination in co-payments for mental health services. Getting this measure through Congress by July 1 has been a priority of the Democrats and has had the broad support of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association. Sen. Harry Reid promised the Senate will act swiftly. A second House initiative relevant to mental health...
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News: Regulating residential treament programs
Parents with troubled teens often choose mental health and behavioral treatment programs within an industry suffering from lack of state and federal oversight. Congressional hearings, and an April GAO report about reforms needed in the residential treatment industry are part of the background to a bill proposed by Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008" 
(H.R. 5876). Kathryn Whitehead (above) discusses her experience in a Montana program....
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5876
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 on April 22, 2008: “To require certain standards and enforcement provisions to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, and for other purposes.”
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5605
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced the Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2008 on March 12, 2008: “To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, or medical supplies for which payment is made under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP.”
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Track Legislation: S. 2029
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2007 on September 5, 2007: “To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, or medical supplies for which payment is made under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP.”
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Track Legislation: H.R. 4053
Rep. Shelley Berkeley (D-NV) introduced the Mental Health Improvements Act of 2007 on Oct. 31, 2007, “To improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.”
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Track Legislation: S. 2162
Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hi) introduced the Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 on October 14, 2007: "To improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, and for other purposes."
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Track Legislation: S. 2819
Economic Recovery in Health Care Act of 2008, introduced by Sen. John Rockefeller, April 2, 2008, "Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finalizing, implementing, enforcing, or otherwise taking any action to give effect prior to April 1, 2009"
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News: Talks on insurance parity close gaps
Negotiations over key differences in the bills for mental health insurance parity are moving forward now that the House signaled it is willing to drop its insistence on using the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) to define psychiatric disorders. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) had overwhelming support from 274 co-sponsors, and passed the House by a large margin in March. But using the DSM to define psychiatric and substance...
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Track Legislation: S. 558
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) introduced the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 on February 11, 2007: “To provide parity between health insurance coverage of mental health benefits and benefits for medical and surgical services.”
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Track Legislation: H.R. 1424
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) introduced the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 on March 8, 2007: “To amend section 712 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, section 2705 of the Public Health Service Act, section 9812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-related disorder benefits under group health plans, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment, and for other purposes.”
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News: Hearings assail drug marketing
How pharmaceutical companies market drugs continues to concern lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Yesterday Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak (both of Mich.) announced additional hearings will follow up the one held in early May when they peppered spokespersons from Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, and Merck/Schering-Plough about practices they considered deceptive and misleading in the promotion of Lipitor, Procrit and Vytorin. Industry reps believed their ads met standards set by their trade association PhRMA, and...
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News: A firewall between discrimination and genes
By a vote of 95-0, the Senate approved a measure that would protect against genetic profiling in employment or insurance, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The law would affect dozens of conditions influenced by genes. The National Human Genome Research Institute has encouraged people to take advantage of genetic testing. Numerous genes, and combinations, are thought to be implicated in disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, or anxiety disorder. Home kits are being marketed to people wanting to test for a...
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5892
Rep. John Hall (D-NY) introduced the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 on April 23, 2008: “To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and survivors, and for other purposes.”
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News: Reactions to Medicaid (HR 5613) moratorium vote
Action of a decisive House of Representatives, led by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich), to hold off Medicaid cuts, has received considerable local support. President Bush has threatened to veto this bill (it must first move through the Senate), citing a savings of $13 billion over five years. The one-year moratorium is estimated to cost about $1.6 billion. An analysis of the economics, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, is available in a pdf file. The vote had overwhelming support, and...
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News: Reauthorizing community centers likely
A bill (H.R. 1343) reauthorizing community health care centers through 2012, a major source of medical care for 17 million uninsured people living in areas with few medical services, was approved by a congressional sub-committee reports CQ. The centers date from the 1960s, and the Senate approved a similar bill (S 901) last year. To follow H.R. 1343 through the House of Representatives, click here. To follow S. 901 through the Senate, click here....
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Track Legislation: S. 901
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2007 on March 14, 2007: “To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide additional authorizations of appropriations for the health centers program under section 330 of such Act.”
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Track Legislation: H.R. 1343
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) introduced the Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007 on March 5, 2007: “To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide additional authorizations of appropriations for the health centers program under section 330 of such Act.”
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News: Calls for resignation of VA mental health chief
Citing a cover-up of the 12,000 suicide attempts by veterans under treatment with the VA, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) called for the resignation of Dr. Ira Katz, the VA’s mental health chief. Akaka’s demand came soon after Katz's emails were introduced into evidence in a federal court hearing charges that the VA failed to address suicide and other mental health issues. Katz began emails discussing the with “Shh!” reported the San Francisco Chronicle. “Dr. Katz's personal conduct and professional judgment...
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News: Committee passes bill to delay Medicaid cuts
A House committee voted unanimously to delay changes to Medicaid that the Bush administration sought to impose. With broad support on the bill (H.R. 5613) introduced by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich), ranking member Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tx) thought the House and Senate likely to sustain a presidential veto. Community mental health services are among those that will be delayed one year. The cost for all the Medicaid measures is estimated at $1.65 billion. To follow H.R. 5613 through the House...
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5554
Rep. Michael Michaud introduced the Justin Bailey Veterans Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act of 2008 on March 5, 2008: “To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand and improve health care services available to veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs for substance use disorders, and for other purposes.”
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News: Treating vets' substance abuse
Congressional hearings focused attention on veterans' health and several pending bills. Last month, Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Me) introduced a bill (H.R. 5554) requiring all VA medical centers to provide the full spectrum of care for substance use disorders. A survey of 2007 indicated that more than 7 percent of all vets met criteria for substance use disorder, and last year, 25 percent of those between 18 and 25 met them. To follow H.R. 5554 through the House of Representatives, click...
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5613
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) introduced the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act on March 12, 2008: “To extend certain moratoria and impose additional moratoria on certain Medicaid regulations through April 1, 2009, and for other purposes.”
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News: Bill would halt Medicaid cuts
The House is considering a bill (H.R. 5613) to postpone decisions made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would drastically cut Medicaid services, giving lawmakers time to consider the implications. In hearings held yesterday, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) outlined the impact for community-based programs serving adults and children with psychiatric needs and called the administration's edicts an attack on “the nation’s safety net” and contrary to congressional intent. The bill has bi-partisan support from 57 co-sponsors....
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Consider This: Insurance, business interests favor Senate's parity bill
Insurance, business interests favor Senate's parity bill
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News: House votes for parity
The House of Representatives voted 268 to 148 to require equal insurance coverage for mental illnesses and addictive disorders, a measure which would overturn federal approval of discrimination. It’s almost one year to the date since the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act was introduced by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, here testifying at congressional hearings. President Bush once endorsed parity but now says he opposes it for ideological reasons, according to a report in the New York Times....
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Consider This: Wellstone Equity Act needed
Wellstone Equity Act needed
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Consider This: Pharma influence grows
Pharms spends more on lobbying while we spend more on drugs.
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News: Update: Drug companies
The Congressional Quarterly reports that new information is being sought to clarify whether GlaxoSmithKline had data about suicide risks for its anti-depressant Paxil as early as 1989. In May 2006 it alerted health professionals about the risk compared to placebos. Seroquel extension sought In an attempt to maintain high profits on its blockbuster drug Seroquel, AstraZeneca is asking to extend patent protection in the US and the European Union. It is also trying to Teva, a generic giant Teva from...
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News: One year insurance extension
The House voted a one-year extension of the 1996 mental health insurance law while waiting for a more comprehensive bill to work its way through committees. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) noted that eleven years ago when the Mental Health Parity Act was passed, it was “only partial parity for mental illness and excluded addiction benefits.” Two bills currently under discussion in Congress attempt to plug some of those holes. In the House, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity...
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Consider This: Bush budget bad news
Phyllis Vine

With 84 million people suffering from mental illness and substance abuse disorders, Bush budget proposals are entirely insufficient. Now it's up to Congress, and the rest of us to respond.
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News: FDA's effectiveness questioned
A House subcommittee voted to subpoena former FDA officials to answer questions about fraudulent clinical data used to approve Ketek, an antibiotic with life-threatening complications including liver failure. The subpoena came at the end of a day when witness after witness testified that the FDA has fallen short of its oversight responsibilities to regulate and monitor food, drugs and medical devices. An outdated system of information technology, and budgetary constraints were among the factors enumerated by witnesses before the Subcommittee...
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Consider This: Mental illness and public safety: let's tell the truth
by Phyllis Vine

As measures to protect public safety with gun laws move through state houses, too often the word "dangerous" is being used to modify "mental illness." Do laudable efforts to halt violence belong on the shoulders of people with a mental illness? Isn't it time we started to wrestle with the truth?
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News: Hearings on vets' health
More than 40 percent of the veterans returning from Iraq require mental health treatment and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held hearings on eight relevant bills yesterday. They include: HR 4231 – Rural Veterans Health Care Access Act of 2007 -- calling for vouchers for services 30 miles from a VA facility – which the VA opposes arguing it creates fragmented care, permits a non-VA provider to recommend treatment, and applies to residents of urban as well as...
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News: Dems renew fight over SCHIP, Medicaid
Congressional leaders blasted the Bush administration for unilateral decisions curbing eligibility for States Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicaid. “Congress made it clear in law that Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program should be there for lower-income kids living without insurance,” said Sen. Max Backaus (D-Mont.) And Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) accused the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of stacking “the deck through administrative fiat” when it disagreed with Congress. A group of ranking Democrats has...
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News: Seniors pay more for Zoloft
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D will pay $369 more for five medications, including Zoloft, according to a study conducted by Consumers Union. Roughly 75 percent of the private insurance plans in Medicare Part D announced hikes for the coming year. Another study released this week, from Annals of Internal Medicine, examined a single pharmacy chain. Results from this national pharmacy indicate out-of-pocket costs had dropped and utilization had increased. Currently, Medicare is prevented from negotiating over price, which Rep....
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Commentary: Peer-to-Peer: Returning Vets' Mental Health Care
by Ralph Ibson

Soldiers in need of mental health treatment are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in unprecedented numbers, stretching thin military services. Ralph Ibson, Mental Health America's Vice President for Government Affairs, explains how a program of peer-to-peer services could fill the void caused by long distances, understaffing, and personnel shortages.


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News: Insurance parity no shoe-in
Disagreements between the House and Senate may "thwart" reconciliation of their respective proposals for mental health parity insurance. According to the Daily Report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, lawmakers have characterized negotiations over the past month as difficult. The House version (HR 1424) is considered a more comprehensive bill, requiring coverage of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) disorders. It would also take effect in Jan. 2008. The Senate bill (S 558), which permits insurers to define the disorders, would be...
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News: Climate change affects mental health
The impact of climate change for people with mental illness was part of the testimony the Bush administration redacted from the Dr. Julie Gerberding’s prepared remarks at last week’s hearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Gerberding is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Refuting accusations circulating widely that redacting seven of 12 pages was actually censorship, Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy,said Gerberding’s testimony...
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Consider This: Meeting the crisis in veteran health
Rates of combat-related PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression are climbing off the charts for veterans and their families. But will competing blue-panel commissions slow progress in closing the gaps in the veteran health crisis?
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News: Pumping up community services
A bill to bolster community mental health centers with primary care services was introduced by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI). The Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act (S. 2182) reduces or forgives loans to professionals who serve medically under served communities, and recognizes chronic medical illnesses exist alongside mental illness. It is co-sponsored by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and is now making its way through committees, starting with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Additional links: National Council for...
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News: House fails to override SCHIP veto
The House failed to gather a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto of the States Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The largely partisan vote, 273 to 156, included 44 Republicans joining Democrats to override, and two Democrats voting to sustain the veto. Two of each party did not vote. Rep. John Boehner, House Minority leader, accused the Democrats of not paying attention to poor children; Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president is isolated from the nation's consensus and promised...
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News: Another step for parity bill
By a vote of 32-13, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill to eliminate insurance bias in treating mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Five Republicans joined 27 Democrats to approve the measure, but not before Republicans tried to reword it in accord with the Senate version which allows insurance companies, along with business, to specify relevant disorders. This bill has been championed by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MI), pictured here, who have described their...
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News: Children at risk
The House Committee on Education and Labor heard testimony citing abuses in residential programs -- also called "boot camps," "wilderness programs," or "behavioral treatment programs" -- for children and adolescents. Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Cal) reviewed the Government Accounting Office (GAO) scathing report, Residential Treatment Programs, which documents 33 states in which at least 1600 individuals were charged with abuse in a single year, 2005. A full investigation was hindered, the reports says, because it could not locate: a single...
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News: Wellstone Act moving through subcommittees
Today a House subcommittee is expected to approve the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act" (HR 1424), the insurance parity bill championed by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). The bill has 240 co-sponsors, making it likely to win House approval. Many differences between the Senate (S 558) and House versions have already been ironed out, but a major sticking point is who defines the illness. The Senate's bill relies on providers and employers, while the House version is tagged...
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News: Trent Lott invokes common sense
Blogging on the website Human Events, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss) supported President Bush's veto of SCHIP, and questioned its funding with higher cigarette taxes: "Some contend that when you increase tobacco taxes, tobacco use drops. Common sense, often missing from Washington debates, says we can't have it both ways. If we tax people out of smoking, then we're taxing children off SCHIP." Nearly 435,000 people a year die from tobacco-related causes, many after suffering lengthy and costly medical care. And...
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News: Vets commisssion findings
After two years of study, the congressionally mandated Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission issued its Report. Among the recommendations was updating the schedule for rating disabilities (VASRD). Currently it groups 16 major diagnostic categories from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual into a single system. The commission specifically called for updating criteria for PTSD....
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News: Swift response to Bush's veto of SCHIP
President Bush followed through on promises to veto the States Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which lapsed on Sunday. The veto, the fourth of his presidency, came behind closed doors. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md) said he will not rush to schedule a vote to override, hoping 15 of the 159 who originally voted against the measure will change their minds. Meanwhile, contradictory messages are coming from the White House. Bush told a crowd in Lancaster, Pa., that he...
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News: Strengthening wounded warrior bill
Last minute changes to the Defense Authorization Bill include halting a Pentagon practice of discharging soldiers by claiming they had pre-existing mental health problems. About 10 soldiers a day were booted this way, and they lost their medical benefits as a result. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo) told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doubted pre-existing “personality disorders” afflicted 22,500 soldiers, and he worked with Sen. Barack Obama (D-ILL) to insert corrections to alter this practice. Another recent change came...
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News: Treatment for vets wanting
A GAO report released yesterday (9.26) showed shortfalls in meeting stated objectives for returning service members. Although a joint committee of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs recommended numerous changes -- continuity of care, case-management teams, better transition from active service to veteran status, and expedited disability hearings -- for the most part, they have not been implemented. The day before, Rep. Harry E. Mitchell (D-Ariz) rebuked the VA because not all of the beds in the...
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News: SCHIP showdown
Congress and the Bush administration will test wills over the States Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which the president threatens to veto. Neither bi-partisan endorsements, nor huge public support have moved the president who remains stubbornly opposed to this proven, successful program. The House might vote today on a compromise measure which costs $60 billion over five years ($35 billion more than at present) and is paid for by a hike in cigarette taxes to $1 a pack. At least...
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News: Senate hearing on community-based services
Long-term community care is on today's agenda in the Senate Finance Committee. The Community Choice Act of 2007 (S799) provides services for people with disabilities who might otherwise need institutional care or nursing homes. When he introduced this in March, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said it was necessary "to truly bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of society and provide equal opportunity for employment and community activities." A similar House bill (H 1621), also called for services to assist...
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News: A step closer to insurance parity
By unanimous consent Tuesday night, the Senate passed a mental health parity insurance bill (S. 558) eliminating barriers for people seeking treatment for mental illness and addiction disorders. This applies to businesses with 50 or more employees. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), both long-time champions of health reform. Domenici is also a former board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He previously sponsored the 1996 Mental Health Parity...
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Consider This: The SCHIP debate heats up
by Phyllis Vine
An MIWatch Commentary addresses the intense reaction to the Bush administration's edict revising the States Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
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News: Hearings for renewal of SAMSHA appropriation
CongressionalQuarterly HealthBeat, May 8, 2007 The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held hearings about the reauthorization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA). Witnesses used the opportunity to stress the need for evidence-based, flexible and local programs to replace fragmented andscattered services....
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News: VA's Puget Sound flunks assessment, flunks vets
VA officials were aware of problems, yet failed to improve patient safety at Puget Sound's hospitals, according to a report issued by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. In an unusual step, the commission recommended a "preliminary denial of accreditation." The report was made public by Washington's Sen. Patty Murray. Murray then called for an emergency meeting, and described a "lack of leadership." That was before she heard that information about a patient who harmed himself...
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News: Military support becomes specific
Government officials recommended several measures to improve the mental health of members of the armed services, according to Kaiser News Network. The recommendations ranged from increasing the number of clinicians, to help for service family members, to a Senate subcommittee adding $3.2 billion more to budget recommendations than President Bush sought to fund veterans affairs and military construction. In addition, a blue-ribbon task force evaluating the military health system confirmed widely publicized reports that it had "fallen significantly short" of...
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News: Of vets and vetoes: a failed health policy
The News and Observer, May 11, 2007 In the on-going disgrace about health care for wounded military, the McClatchey Newspapers charge that Veterans Affairs has exaggerated its accomplishments, “inflating its achievements in ways that make it appear more successful than it is.” Meanwhile, the Institute of Medicine has issued "PTSD Compensation and Military Service," showing inconsistent patterns of disability compensations for PTSD. Plugging some of the holes for PTSD treatment would be provided immediately with $600 million for brain injury...
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News: CBO report on SCHIP
Kaisernetwork.org, May 11, 2007 To address questions about SCHIP (States Childrens Health Insurance Program) and the program's ability to provide insurance to children from low-income families, the Congressional Budget Office published a study enumerating eligibility criteria, with funding and threshold levels. The Daily Report of the Kaiser Family Foundation summarized some of the differences of key members of the Sentate Finance Committee....
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Links: Government Resources
Information about public resources, medication, legislation, or policy.
Full Story | Topics: Congress, FDA, housing, Medicaid, Medicare, politics, recovery, treatment programs | Comments (0)

News: Campaign to expand Medicare, shorten waiting period
Dallas News April 27, 2007 The lack of health care for 45 million uninsured Americans continues to occupy Congressional attention. In the last week, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) introduced a bill (H.R. 2034 with12 co-sponsors) calling for a universal Medicare benefit. Too, efforts to close the two-year wait before disabled Americans can enroll in Medicare is gathering momentum on Capitol Hill following a report from The Medicare Rights Center documenting the catastrophic health, financial and family impacts of the 1972...
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Interviews: Q & A with Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) on insurance parity
by Phyllis Vine
Rep. Jim Ramstad talks about insurance parity which will put psychiatric and addi tive disorders on par with physican ailments.
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