NAMI E-News September 20, 2002 Vol. 02-97
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Senate Panel To Consider Medicare Legislation
Effort Launched to Address Discriminatory 50% Co-Payment
Requirement for Outpatient Mental Illness Treatment Services
With prospects for a bipartisan agreement this year on Medicare prescription
legislation fading, the Senate Finance Committee is planning to move forward on
a package of increases for reimbursements for hospitals, physicians and HMOs. It
is expected that as early as next week the Finance Committee will consider a
package of these Medicare provider "givebacks" that could grow as large as $50
billion. The House passed a similar $30 billion package on June 28 as part of
their Medicare prescription drug bill. The Senate was unable to pass a
prescription drug bill, after more than two weeks of contentious partisan debate
this past July. Despite this absence of agreement on outpatient prescription
drug coverage for Medicare, Senate leaders appear determined to address the
pleas of providers to add more money to the program - mainly in response to
ongoing concerns that the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 has cut payments to
providers too deeply.
Parity for Outpatient Mental Illness Treatment Services Under Consideration
The Senate Finance Committee Medicare package affords NAMI an important
opportunity to push Congress to address perhaps the most discriminatory
provision in the current Medicare benefit - the 50% copayment requirement for
outpatient mental illness treatment services (all other medical-surgical
outpatient services have a 20% beneficiary copayment. A bipartisan coalition of
Finance Committee members is pushing for an amendment that would gradually lower
the 50% copayment over the next decade.
The Finance Committee is under enormous pressure from many different provider
and patient groups to include provisions that address a wide array of
beneficiary concerns. Thus, NAMI advocates need to come forward and make the
case for inclusion of an amendment to address parity for the 50% copayment for
Medicare outpatient services. NAMI's current position paper on Medicare coverage
of mental illness treatment can be found at:
http://www.nami.org/policy/wherewestand/medicare02.html
Medicaid FMAP Increase Proposed
In addition to consideration of numerous changes to Medicare, the Finance
Committee is also expected to take up a proposed temporary increase for the
federal share of Medicaid - also known as FMAP. As state NAMI leaders know all
too well, 2002 has been a very difficult year for state budgets. This is
especially the case for Medicaid programs as governors and legislators have
sought to cut both services and eligibility to hold down costs. Children and
adults with severe mental illnesses have been especially vulnerable as states
have moved forward on these cuts and NAMI affiliates have been very busy
resisting these efforts to cut this critical safety net program.
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) is leading an effort on the Finance Committee to
increase federal matching funds for state Medicaid programs by $6 billion over
the next 18 months. An additional $3 billion would also be added to the Social
Services Block Grant. NAMI strongly supports Senator Rockefeller's FMAP proposal
as the most effective short-term means of preventing further cuts to Medicaid.
Action Requested
NAMI advocates are urged to contact members of the Senate Finance Committee and
encourage support for:
1) parity for the 50% copayment requirement for outpatient
mental illness treatment services, and
2) a temporary increase for the federal share of Medicaid (FMAP)
in order to prevent further cuts in eligibility and services for Medicaid
beneficiaries with severe mental illness.
NAMI members residing in the states of Senate Finance Committee members are
especially encouraged to make phone calls and send e-mails. NAMI members that do
not have a senator on the Committee can call their senators and encourage them
to contact Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) in support of both
amendments. Below is a list of Finance Committee members.
All Senate offices can be reached can be reached by calling the Capitol
Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or online through
www.congress.org.
Senate Finance Committee
Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Tom Daschle (D-SD)
John Breaux (D-LA)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Bob Graham (D-FL)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Robert Torricelli (D-NJ)
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR)
James Jeffords (I-VT)
Charles Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
Don Nickles (R-OK)
Phil Gramm (R-TX)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Fred Thompson (R-TN)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
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The NAMI E-News is an electronic newsletter delivering the latest
in federal action alerts, legislative and policy updates, and NAMI press
releases. Provided free of charge as a public service, the NAMI E-News is read
by more than 16,500 NAMI members, policymakers, federal and state legislators,
media, providers, health care policy experts, and others interested in improving
the lives of individuals with severe mental illnesses and their families.
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Thank you.
Last Updated on
04/14/04
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