Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Child Insurance Program May Face Crunch Las Vegas Sun story - "A government program that provides health insurance for poor children could run into money problems in several states over the next two years unless Congress acts. Six to 14 states will use up their share of federal money for the State Children's Health Insurance Program during the 2006 budget year, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. By the next year, that number will range from 12 to 20 states. The range occurs because analysts looked at two scenarios. One projected low demand for the program; the second factored in high demand..."
Federal Medicaid Commission Named; Former Tennessee Governor To Lead Panel Item in the
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday announced 13 voting members and 15 nonvoting members of a federal Medicaid commission that will be charged with recommending short- and long-term reforms to the program... The committee, created as a result of negotiations over the fiscal year 2006 federal budget, will be required to submit two reports. The first, which must be submitted by Sept. 1, will include recommendations on how to reduce Medicaid spending growth by $10 billion over the next five years. The second report, due Dec. 31, 2006, will include recommendations for stabilizing Medicaid over the long term..."
Marin says Prop. 63 funding falls short (California) Marin Independent Journal story - "Mental health treatment programs in Marin will see a payout of $6.91 per resident from a new tax on millionaires - the second lowest per-capita amount in the state. The money, totaling $1.7 million annually, is Marin's less-than-expected pot of gold from its share of revenue from Proposition 63, approved by voters last November. Proposition 63 places a 1 percent tax on incomes over $1 million to expand mental health services in the state."
Program in Maine works to cut jail time for mentally ill Story at
Foster's Online - "A program aimed at keeping mentally ill criminals in treatment instead of jail has been deemed a success in Maine's Cumberland County. Now it's being studied by other states considering similar approaches. The Divert Offenders to Treatment program launched three years ago is a collaborative among corrections officials, police departments and mental health professionals. As part of the effort, researchers tracked 10 people with a history of mental illness who'd been in and out of jail. A combination of police sensitivity, early intervention in jail and treatment after release caused the number of repeat arrests to drop sharply..."
Mental health needs viewed from two angles (Kansas) Excellent
Lawrence Journal-World story on efforts to address the number of people admitted to Kansas jails "because they hadn’t gotten enough help for their mental illness" and prison "the recent debate regarding whether Lawrence Memorial Hospital should reopen its inpatient mental health unit. But mental health advocates in the community say leaders shouldn’t lose sight of trying to improve the system that still exists in Lawrence."
Cities set to battle proposed mental health facility (California) Daily Bulletin story - "With the state prison system's health operations facing a federal takeover, the cities of Chino and Chino Hills will be taking a different approach in their efforts to block a mental health facility proposed near the California Institution for Men. Officials from both cities traveled to Sacramento two weeks ago to meet with state lawmakers and ask them to oppose plans by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to build a facility in Chino that would house mentally ill prisoners. A federal judge has ordered a takeover of the prison system's health operations, citing poor care and preventable deaths..."
