Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of October 20, 2008
mental health in the headlines
Week of October 13, 2008
Mental Health in the Headlines offers summaries of the latest news and views in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America's support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Depression Can Be a Factor in Deaths of People Who’ve Had Heart Attacks...more
*TODAY´S NEWS
Medicaid Costs Projected To Increase Faster Than Overall Economy
The projected growth of Medicaid spending, which will increase at a rate much faster than the growth of the overall economy during the next decade, “is unsustainable for both federal and state governments,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. His department released a report last week that indicates that state and federal spending on Medicaid will expand at an average annual rate of 7.9 percent, reaching $674 billion by 2017. “If nothing is done to rein in these costs, access to health care for the nation’s most vulnerable citizens could be threatened,” Leavitt said. (Reuters, 10/17/08)
Waxman Seeks Medicare Drug Info
In a letter last week to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acting administrator Kerry Weems, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked for a significant amount of material related to prescription drug premiums. A statement last month by Weems suggested that Medicare drug program premiums will either remain the same in 2009 as in 2008, or fall. Waxman said his committee’s analysis of future Medicare drug plan premiums shows they will actually increase by 22 percent next year. (Dow Jones Newswires, 10/15/08)
Hawaii Drops Universal Coverage For Kids
Just seven months after it started, Hawaii plans to end its universal healthcare program for children due in part to budget problems. State officials were also concerned that parents who have private insurance coverage for their children are cancelling their coverage and enrolling their children in the state program. The program was created in 2007 to ensure that every child with coverage—mostly immigrants and families with low incomes—can receive it. (Los Angeles Times/The Associated Press, 10/17/08)
Rhode Island Seeks To Overhaul State’s Medicaid Financing Model
Rhode Island state officials are seeking a waiver from the federal government to institute an unprecedented overhaul of the state’s Medicaid program. The overhaul would affect how the state receives its share of federal funding for the program; instead of being reimbursed for more than 50 percent of what the state spends on Medicaid, Rhode Island would receive it’s federal money up front in a lump sum. It would benefit the federal government, officials claim, because state spending would be capped during the period the waiver is in effect. In return, the state seeks freedom from rules on how federal Medicaid money is spent. (Los Angeles Times/The Associated Press, 10/18/08)
Latest Research
Depression Can Be A Factor In Deaths of People Who’ve Had Heart Attacks: Depression and high heart rate at night appear to be predictors of death among adults who’ve had heart attacks, researchers report in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Depression, the researchers note, often interferes with individuals’ sleep, which in turn may cause ischemia, a restriction of blood and oxygen to heart tissues. (Reuters, 10/14/08)
Anabolic Steroid Misuse Lead To Aggressive Behavior: Researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health that they have confirmed the long-held suspicion that the use of anabolic steroids among young men can cause violent behavior. In fact, young men are twice as likely to engage in violence if they also regularly take steroids as their peers, according to the researchers. (Reuters, 10/15/08)
*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Steve Vetzner, senior director of media relations at Mental Health America, said that the federal mental health parity law will increase coverage for about 82 million people under self-insured plans and 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation. Vermont already has its own decade-old mental health parity law that goes beyond what the new federal requirements call for. And state officials and mental health advocates are scrambling to see what changes the federal bill could bring. The Times Argus, “Federal mental health parity bill will have effect on Vermont,” October 17, 2008
The new mental health parity is “an historic step that offers the promise of greater access to care at last,” said Ralph Ibson, vice president for government affairs at Mental Health America. While not immediately applicable, the new law provides a window for employers and insurers to build parity into their benefit design. Mental Health Weekly, “Field expects new parity law to improve, expand treatment access, reduce stigma,” October 13, 2008
As America's economy may be edging toward a recession, some mental health professionals said they are seeing a rise in business at behavioral health care offices. Packaged with the bailout was the mental health parity bill. In a press release the same day as the bill’s passage, Mental Health America declared the legislation "a great civil rights victory." Lansdale Reporter, “Economy weighs heavy on hearts and minds”, October 16, 2008
Stay Up to Date With More News, Views and Tools
- View highlights of Mental Health America’s 2008 Annual Conference featuring the Inaugural Promotion and Prevention Summit
- Save the Date: Mental Health America's Centennial Conference - June 10-13, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- Mental Health America’s 2008 Media Awards honor excellence in reporting of mental health issues
- Survey reveals obstacles to health care for people who have schizophrenia
- New report reveals link between states’ depression status and access to treatment
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- Check out previous issues of Mental Health in the Headlines
Mental Health in the Headlines is produced weekly by Mental Health America. Mental Health America's Mental Health in the Headlines staff: Steve Vetzner, senior director, Media Relations; Sarah Jones, communications coordinator; and Hazel Moran, senior director, Healthcare Reform.
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