Current Advocacy Issues:  

See also MPS Legislative Updates under the Mental Notes tab

• Restrictions proposed for Medicaid mental health drugs
  There have been two hearings and several versions of bills that may affect the 2004 laws that protect access to Medicaid mental health drugs. MPS has been active in proposals and negotiations that would maintain access but to also find ways to address the need for cost-effectiveness. Legislators have been supportive of alternatives to prior authorization, but the department has resisted, stating that Medicaid mental health drugs should be handled in the same way that HMOs and commercial insurance operate. Read more about the advocacy efforts of MPS. Read more about this issue
  
  
• State Mental Health Parity: an issue that needs the attention of the 2011 Legislature
  
• FY-12 State Budget was concluded in record time:
  
  GME impact minimized, as proposed cuts for the state's share of funding went from 40% to 99% to 19%
  Thank you to Members and especially Residents who responded to that call for advocacy.  The importance of Resident Physicians was made clear to the Michigan Legislature.  We have also formally thanked Senator Roger Khan, a physician legislator and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee who views GME as a priority for state funding. MPS is developing in-depth informational materials on Resident training programs in Michigan and their contribution to our state's workforce needs to provide to the administration and legislature.
  
  Budget Pressures for CMH Continue
  While Medicaid reimbursement was not cut, and Community Mental Health Programs received small Medicaid caseload increases, there was a 3% cut to the CMH non-Medicaid funding, making it increasingly hard for CMHs to serve uninsured and under-insured persons with mental health needs, and yet the budget contained language encouraging the CMHs to use those same general fund dollars to provide services in jails. There were also significant reductions in funding for substance use disorders.
  
  Budget calls for including behavioral health drugs on the Medicaid Preferred Drug List
  The Governor recommended, and the Legislature concurred, that $6.3 million of general fund money would be saved by instituting prior authorization for Medicaid psychiatric drugs. This would require the repeal of Act 248 of 2004 which specifically exempted most psychiatric drug classes, as well as those for epilepsy, cancer, HIV-AIDS, and organ transplants. MPS worked with CMH Medical Directors to develop alternative proposals, which have not yet received consideration from the department. MPS, along with partner advocacy groups, signed a letter that was delivered to the Governor and Legislators. While the savings amount was factored into the budget, no legislator has yet introduced a bill to repeal the protective act that was championed by former Senator Bev Hammerstrom.