NASMHPD News

2019

April 12, 2019
House Democratic Chairs Question Department of Justice Decision to Reverse Course by Asking U.S. Appeals Court to Invalidate the Entire Affordable Care Act
April 5, 2019
NASMHPD Asking Congress for 5 Percent Block Grant Set-Aside for Crisis Services, Medicare Part A & B Coverage for Certified Peer Support Services
March 29, 2019
U.S. District Court Judge Boasberg Rules Against CMS Medicaid Work Waivers in Arkansas, Kentucky; Trump Administration, Reverses, Asks that APA be Completely Struck Down
March 22, 2019
Trump Administration Proposed FY 2020 Budget Maintains Funding for Block Grants and CCBHC and Opioid Grants, But Again Cuts SBIRT, PBHCI, and Minority Fellowships
March 15, 2019
President’s FY 2020 Budget Proposes Increased Funding for Mental Health Block Grant, But State Block Grant Option and Significant Cuts in Medicaid
March 8, 2019
Federal District Court Rejects as Contrary to MHPAEA Health Insurer's Limitation of Coverage to Acute Care under Medical Necessity Guidelines for Mental Health Services
March 1, 2019
New SAMHSA-Sponsored Clinical Support System for Persons with SMI (SMI Advisor) includes Clozapine Center of Excellence Assembled by NASMHPD
February 22, 2019
Study Finds One-Third to One-Half of Patients Prescribed Fentanyl Were Opioid-Nontolerant Five Years after FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy was Instituted
February 15, 2019
L.A. County Supervisors Replace Plans for Central Jail with Plans for Inmate Mental Health Facility
February 8, 2019
Read more about the recent MHPAEA Study in this Week's NASMHPD Weekly Update
January 31, 2019
Ways and Means Hearing on Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions Becomes Partisan Debate
January 25, 2019
Federal Judge Seems Skeptical of Trump Administration Arguments for Association Health Plan Rules
January 18, 2019
CMS, SAMHSA Continue to Operate in Government Shutdown, But Regulations, ACA Appeal Delayed
January 11, 2019
Number of States Granted Approval for Medicaid Work Requirements Reaches Seven, with Nine Applications Pending; Critics Say Individuals with Disabilities, Homeless are Most Vulnerable to Cutoffs
January 4, 2019
U.S. District Court Orders ACA to Remain in Place While States Appeal Earlier Ruling that Repeal of the Individual Mandate Penalty Rendered it Unconstitutional

2018

December 20, 2018
Affordable Care Act Insurance Market Remains Operational Despite Ruling by Federal Judge in Texas that Repeal of the Individual Mandate Penalties Renders the Act Unconstitutional
December 14, 2018
Pennsylvania DHS Declares State Hospital Facilities Tobacco-Free; Health Groups Set New Goal of Reducing Smoking Among Adults with Mental Illnesses and SUDs to 20% by 2022
December 7, 2018
Study Finds Public Service Anti-Smoking TV Ads Featuring Former Smoker with Depression Successfully Influenced Consumers with Mental Illness to Consider Tobacco Cessation
November 30, 2018
One-Quarter of One Percent of Medicare Beneficiaries Use Telehealth; Beneficiaries with a Mental Health Diagnosis are Among Highest Utilizers of Telehealth-Delivered Services
November 16, 2018
CMS Medicaid Managed Care Regulations Revision Leaves 15-Day Monthly Limit on IMD Services Unchanged
November 9, 2018
Preliminary Study Finds Behavioral Health Issues are Driving More Children and Youth to Pediatric Hospital Emergency Rooms
November 2, 2018
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Finds Sexual Minority Youths Report Greater Violence, Victimization, Substance Use, and Suicide Risk than Heterosexual Youth
October 26, 2018
Are Researchers Neglecting Studies of Individuals in Recovery from Depression?
October 19, 2018
New Medicaid and CHIP Head to Recuse Herself from Maine Waiver and SPA Requests
October 12, 2018
Attempt by Democrats to Roll Back Short-Term Health-Plan Regulation Fails in Senate, 50-50
October 5, 2018
SAMHSA Partners with the NCHS to Make Restricted-Use National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Data Available
September 28, 2018
Opioid Legislation, 5-Year Exception to the Medicaid IMD Exclusion for Substance Use Disorder Treatment.
September 21, 2018
Senate Passes FY 2019 Conference Committee Funding Measure for Labor-HHS-DOD; House Next
September 14, 2018
National Academy of Health and Medicine Holds Two-Day Workshop on Suicide Prevention
August 24, 2018
CMS Approves 1332 Waivers Creating Exchange Reinsurance Funds for Maryland, New Jersey
August 17, 2018
Oregon Medicaid Considers Making Opioids Unavailable for Some Chronic Pain Conditions
August 10, 2018
Study Finds Naloxone Administration in Emergency Medical Services Increased
August 3, 2018
CMHS Advisory Council Ponders How to Meet the Behavioral Health Needs of Frontier Populations
July 27, 2018
Weekly Update: House Joins Senate in Passing National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act
July 20, 2018
SAMHSA FOA Invites Applications to Create Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information Related to Mental and Substance Use Disorders
July 13, 2018
Trump Administration Again Reduces Funding for Navigator Grants, Suspends Risk Adjustment Payments to Federally Facilitated Exchange-Participating Insurers
June 29, 2018
CMS Announces Multi-Pronged Medicaid Program Integrity Campaign Aimed at MCO Rates
June 22, 2018
Conservative Think Tanks Release New ACA Repeal and Replace Proposal as House Budget Committee Proposes Cutting Medicaid
June 15, 2018
House Passes Dozens of Opioid-Related Bills, with Renumbered 42 CFR Part 2
June 8, 2018
House of Representatives to Begin Voting on Opioid-Related Legislation Next Week
May 25, 2018
Congressional Budget Office Says It Costs the Federal Government $685 Billion a Year to Subsidize U.S. Health Insurance
May 18, 2018
House Energy and Commerce Committee Approves 32 Opioid-Related Measures
May 11, 2018
House Energy and Commerce Reports Out 25 Opioid-Related Bills for a May Vote
May 4, 2018
National Institutes of Health Announces May 6 National Enrollment Date for 1 Million Volunteers for Its All of Us Research Program to Advance Precision Medicine
April 27, 2018
Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Passes 57 Opioid-Related Bills, But Fails to Act on Legislation Aligning 42 CFR Part 2 with HIPAA Disclosure Rules
April 20, 2018
Senate HELP to Markup Omnibus Opioid Crisis Response Act April 24
April 13, 2018
Senate HELP, House Energy and Commerce Health Committees Hear From Stakeholders, CMS on Proposed Omnibus Opioid Epidemic Legislative Measures
April 6, 2018
Study Finds Implementation of Federal Parity Law Has Been Accompanied by Improvement in Behavioral Health Coverage under Private Insurance Plans
March 30, 2018
FDA Advisory Panel Backs Approval of Non-Opioid Lofexidine for Opioid Withdrawal
March 23, 2018
Congress Increases Mental Health Block Grant Funding for Fiscal Year 2018 by 30 Percent
March 16, 2018
Adolescent Mental Illness Drawn into Debate as Florida, Congress, and the White House Struggle to Address Gun Violence in Schools through In-School Counseling
March 9, 2018
Oprah to Report on Trauma-Informed Care on the March 11th 60 Minutes Broadcast
March 2, 2018
Bipartisan Group of Senators Releases CARA 2.0 Act to Ramp Up Fight on Opioid Abuse
February 23, 2018
GAO Finds 1/3 of Medicaid Spending is on Demonstrations, But CMS Mandated State Evaluations Fail to Provide Policy Direction
February 16, 2018
Trump Administration Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Restores Its 25 Percent Fiscal Year 2018 Cuts to the Mental Health Block Grant; $17 Billion Also Provided for Opioid Epidemic
February 9, 2018
Congress Passes Bipartisan Budget Act Lifting Limits for Domestic, Defense Spending; CHIP Funding Extension Now 10 Years; Community Health Centers Funded for Two Years
February 2, 2018
SAMHSA Listening Session on Revising 42 CFR Part 2 Highlights Majority Consensus Supporting Disclosures Between Care Team Members
January 26, 2018
Congressional Medicaid Advisory Commission Mulls Recommendations on 42 CFR Part 2
January 19, 2018
Lack of DACA Accord Puts Federal Government Funding at Risk, Threatens Shutdown
January 12, 2018
HHS Nominee Azar Promises Senate Finance to Focus on Escalating Drug Prices
January 5, 2018
Final Revisions to 42 CFR Part 2 Regulations Fail to Address Provider Care Concerns

2017

December 22, 2017
Congress Passes Corporate Tax Cuts, to be Signed By President January 3, Provides Temporary Funding for CHIP and CHCs, Delays Stabilizing Insurance Market
December 15, 2017
SAMHSA Assistant Secretary McCance-Katz Updates Senate HELP Committee on Implementation of 21st Century Cures Act Provisions, Touts Block Grant FEP Set-Aside
December 8, 2017
CMS Actuary Finds Growth in Overall Health Spending Slowed Significantly in 2016
December 1, 2017
Senate HELP Committee Grills HHS Secretary-Designate Alex Azar on Drug Company Allegiances, Commitment to Administering the Affordable Care Act
November 10, 2017
CMS Officials Emphasize Stronger Partnerships with the State Medicaid Programs , Greater State Flexibility Conditioned on Greater Accountability
November 3, 2017
2018 Affordable Care Act Individual Health Insurance Enrollment Period Opens with Uncertainty
October 27, 2017
CBO Estimates Implementing Alexander-Murray Would Reduce Federal Deficit $3.8 Billion
October 20, 2017
Movement Stalls on Bipartisan Alexander-Murray Solution to Stabilizing Insurance Markets
October 13, 2017
West Virginia Receives CMS Approval for Coverage for 30-Day Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services Under Medicaid § 1115 Continuum of Care Waiver
October 6, 2017
CHIP Funding Reauthorization Passes Senate Finance Committee Easily, But House Energy and Commerce Committee Struggles with Offsets
September 29, 2017
ACA Repeal is Gone for Now, But Not Forgotten by Republicans in Congress
September 22, 2017
Graham-Cassidy Heads to Senate Vote with Few Votes in Doubt, but McCain Remains Opposed
September 15, 2017
Senate Finance Leaders Agree to Extend CHIP Funding Five Years, Phase Down ACA Funding Bump
September 8, 2017
Senate HELP Hears from Insurance Commissioners, Governors on How to Stabilize Insurance Markets
September 1, 2017
Bipartisan Governors Group Sends Congressional Leaders Market Stabilization Recommendations
August 18, 2017
Health Reform Roundtable of Federal Policy Leaders Offers Recommendations for Stabilizing Marketplace
August 11, 2017
President Trump Directs HHS to “Use All Appropriate Measures” to Fight Opioid Epidemic
August 4, 2017
Senate HELP Plans September Bipartisan Work on Stabilizing the Individual Health Insurance Market
July 28, 2017
Late Night Failure of “Skinny Repeal,” 51-49, Ends Senate GOP’s Efforts to Repeal the ACA (For Now)
July 21, 2017
House Appropriations Committee Slashes Mental Health Block Grant Funding by More than 25 Percent
July 14, 2017
House Retains Administration Cuts to Mental Health Programs to Fund Congressionally Authorized Substance Use Program Increases
June 30, 2017
Unfavorable CBO Score for Senate BCRA Increases GOP Opposition, Forcing Delay in Senate Vote until after July 4 Recess
June 23, 2017
Federal Opioid Commission Hears Testimony on Importance of Medicaid Funding for Treatment as Senate’s Major Medicaid Cuts are Revealed
June 16, 2017
CMS Office of the Actuary Publishes Data on State Health Spending Patterns for 2010 to 2014
June 9, 2017
Senate Legislative Calendar is Biggest Barrier to Movement of, and Changes to, Amended AHCA
June 2, 2017
HHS Announces More Than $70 Million in Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis
May 26, 2017
Revised CBO AHCA Score Finds Higher Premiums, Loss of Coverage for Less Healthy Americans
May 19, 2017
Various Senate AHCA Workgroups Consider an Array of Changes to the House Bill
May 12, 2017
Senate Majority Leader McConnell Appoints Twelve to Draft Senate ACA Replacement Bill
May 5, 2017
Congress Passes $1.1 Trillion Government Spending Bill that Increases SAMHSA Funding
April 28, 2017
FY 2017 Funding Overcomes Dispute over ACA Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments to Insurers
April 21, 2017
Number of Taxpayers Reporting Minimum Essential Coverage Drops 6 Percent in 2017
April 14, 2017
Oklahoma Proposes § 1332 Innovation Waiver
April 7, 2017
American Health Care Act Revival on Life Support
March 31, 2017
It’s Over, But Is It Over? Discussions Continue in Congress on Fixing the Affordable Care Act
March 24, 2017
House Moves Ahead with Vote on the American Health Care Act, Despite Opposition from Republican Governors
March 17, 2017
Speaker Ryan Switches Gears to Consider Amendments to the American Health Care Act
March 10, 2017
Ways and Means Repeals Individual, Employer Mandates in Approving GOP’ American Health Care Act
March 3, 2017
House Energy and Commerce to Begin Markup Next Week of Revised, Top-Secret ACA Repeal and Replacement Bill
February 24, 2017
Hopkins Survey Finds 70 Percent of Prescription Opioids Are Not Stored Safely in Homes with Children
February 17, 2017
CMS Administrator-Designate Seema Verma Appears Before Senate Finance Committee in Hearing on Her Nomination
February 10, 2017
Indiana Asks to Continue Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 Expansion; Arizona Seeks Medicaid Waiver to Allow Broader IMD Care
February 3, 2017
New Administration Regulatory Policy Poses Challenges For 42 CFR Part 2 Final and Supplemental Regulations
January 27, 2017
Congress Begins Considering ACA Replacement Measures
January 20, 2017
SAMHSA Finalizes Substance Use Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Referral Disclosure Regulations
January 13, 2017
Trump Administration Announces White House Policy Team
January 6, 2017
CMS Signs Off on Maryland Medicaid “Health Choice” Waiver Extension and Expansion Providing Residential Treatment for Substance Use Disorders, Presumptive Eligibility for Prisoners

2016

December 23, 2016
HHS Selects 8 States for § 223 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Demo
December 16, 2016
SAMHSA to Award Nearly $1 Billion in New Grants to Address the Opioid Epidemic
December 9, 2016
Senate Passes Combined Mental Health Reform/Cures Legislation, 94-5
December 2, 2016
House Passes Combined Mental Health Reform/Cures Legislation, 392-26; Trump Names Rep. Tom Price HHS Secretary, Seema Verma CMS Administrator
November 18, 2016
Capitol Hill and Opposition Strategies on Affordable Care Act Repeal, Block-Granting of Medicaid Await Trump Administration Direction
November 11, 2016
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Issues Request for Information Seeking Ways to Speed Transition of Medicaid Beneficiaries to Home- and Community-Based Settings
November 4, 2016
CMS Announces Grants to State Insurance Commissioners to Enforce Compliance with Parity
October 28, 2016
Advocates, MACPAC Contemplate Extension of Funding for Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP)
October 21, 2016
HHS Predicts 1 Million Enrollee Increase in 2017 ACA Plans, Despite Premium Increases, Exits
October 7, 2016
NASMHPD Urges MedPAC to Recommend Medicare Coverage and Payment for Peer Review
September 30, 2016
HHS Finalizes Revised Medicare-Medicaid Long-Term Care Regulations
September 23, 2016
NIMH Announces Funding for Three New Zero Suicide Initiatives
September 20, 2016
SAMHSA, CDC Award $53 Million to 44 States, D.C. and 4 Tribes through Six Grant Programs to Address the Opioid Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
September 16, 2016
Census Finds Percentage of U.S. Uninsured Drops Below 10 Percent for First Time
August 26, 2016
CMS Refuses to Extend MEPD Demo, Saying It Could Not Find IMD Use Was Revenue-Neutral
August 19, 2016
Harvard Survey of Low-Income Residents of Kentucky and Arkansas Finds Medicaid Expansion Has Them Healthier, with Greater Access, than Poorer Texans
August 5, 2016
MassHealth Seeks Medicaid New Waiver Extension Using Three Types of ACOs
July 29, 2016
CVS Dispensing Naloxone without Rx
July 15, 2016
Health Care Cost Increases to Escalate
July 8, 2016
July 6 is Red Letter Day for Behavioral Health Issues in Congress
June 24, 2016
Mental Health Reform on House Calendar for July, CARA Passage Threatened by Administration Tactics to Win $1.1 Billion Funding for Prescription Opioid Treatment
June 17, 2016
House Energy and Commerce Unanimously Approves Mental Health Reform Bill
June 10, 2016
House Energy and Commerce Schedules June 15 Vote on Mental Health Reform Bill
June 3, 2016
HHS Approves New Model for Medicaid Expansion in “Healthy Louisiana”
May 27, 2016
National Council Says CMMI Innovation Initiatives Neglect Behavioral Health
May 20, 2016
Administration Raises Salary Thresholds for White Collar Exemptions from OT Pay
May 13, 2016
U. S. Appeals Court Orders District Court to Reevaluate its Ordered 7-Day Competency Evaluation Deadline for Washington State
May 6, 2016
Stakeholders Launch Initiative to Move Mental Health Reform Bill to Senate Floor
April 22, 2016
California Medicaid to Begin Covering Undocumented Children with State Monies
April 15, 2016
House and Senate Appropriations Staff Members Respond to Administration’s Budget Proposal by Seeking a Better Understanding of Prodromo Early Intervention
April 8, 2016
Senate HELP Votes Final “Cures” Bills
April 1, 2016
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) Signals Little Interest in Tackling the Medicaid IMD Reimbursement Exclusion
March 25, 2016
Robert Wood Johnson Study Finds at Least 4 Medicaid Expansion States Were Able to Shift Millions in State Behavioral Health Costs to Medicaid
March 18, 2016
Senate HELP Committee Unanimously Approves S. 2680, The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016
March 11, 2016
Senate HELP Committee Offers New Mental Health Reform Draft for Stakeholder Comment Prior to March 16 Committee Markup
March 4, 2016
SAMHSA Advisory Committees Meet to Discuss SAMHSA Initiatives, Priorities
February 26, 2016
Congressional Committees Grill HHS Secretary Burwell on FY 2017 Budget
February 19, 2016
SAMHSA Issues Behavioral Health Barometer Report for 2015
February 12, 2016
As Promised, FY 2017 Executive Budget Contains New $500 Million for Mental Health Programs, $1 Billion for Opioid Abuse
February 5, 2016
House Energy and Commerce Democrats Release Alternative to H.R. 2646