Public Policy Corner

By Dr. David Conn serves as MHS Senior Vice President of Business Development and Public Policy.

Health Coverage

California Institute for Mental Health (CiMH) has developed a newsletter titled, “Healthcare Reform Issues: At A Glance” (At A Glance), to help California’s Public Mental Health System gain information and resources on issues related to the implementation of Healthcare Reform. The CiMH newsletter features the most current activities related to Healthcare Reform implementation, links to informative websites, publications, and relevant editorials.

State’s Subsidized Health Care Marketplace Receives Approval

Last Thursday, January 3, 2013, our state’s subsidized health care marketplace was given conditional approval by the Obama administration. The approval comes as California is in the process of getting ready to enroll subscribers this coming October.

Health Reform Covered in Consumer Report

While the wait for full implementation of Health Care Reform continues, Consumer Reports has issued a concise, yet thorough guide to help you understand how the changes brought about by health reform and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 will affect you and your family.

The information covers “Seven Things You Need to Know” which includes details on the following topics:

Overview of Behavioral Health Parity

While details about behavioral health parity have been covered in past issues, recently readers have asked questions about the basics of the Mental Health Parity Act. An overview seemed timely: Signed into law in October of 2008, Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) applied to employer-sponsored health plans with 50 or more employees and Medicaid managed care plans.

Full Behavioral Health Parity for California

The most important news this month is that full behavioral health parity has been put into the California Health Benefit Exchange. This means that all four million Californians who will be covered by MediCal and the low-income exchange will receive full mental health and substance use disorder services. This was pushed by the California Coalition for Whole Health, of which MHS is a member.