Current Advocacy Issues

State Mental Health Parity bills to get a vote
When the State House Health Policy Committee held a hearing in April, and passed autism mandated coverage, parity advocates spoke up.  As a result of effective grass roots action and testimony from MPS and Partners for Parity, Speaker Dillon announced that agreement had been reached to give the parity bills a vote in the fall of 2009. The bills were not scheduled in the House Health Policy Committee until April 27th of this year.  At the hearing, the vote was postponed

State Government Budget
Cuts to the Community Mental Health Budget are short sighted and will have dire consequences in the near term...MPS is concerned about the loss of General Funds, which are used to cover non-Medicaid clinical and hospital services.

Physician Tax reappears after being defeated in 2009 
The Governor again proposed a 3% tax on physician's gross earnings in the FY 2011 budget proposal.  The item was removed in the budget that passed out of the Senate.  The budget is still under consideration in the House.

In 2009, MPS, standing alongside MSMS MOA and other medical associations successfully defeated a proposal for a physician tax to be included in the revenues to support the FY 2010 Budget. The proposed Physician Tax legislation was defeated in the Michigan Senate.  Thank you to MPS members who contacted Legislators. MPS provided effective Advocacy!
MPS testimony 
Legislative analysis for HB 5386
 
Some Michigan Psychologists wish to prescribe drugs 
Is it wise policy for the Michigan Legislature to give psychologists a prescription pad despite their lack of medical training?