MHA Policy/ Capitol Hill Day Webinar

Wednesday, May 30, 20122:30 – 3:30 pm (ET)

PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT

Julio C. AbreuSenior Director, Government Affairs

Sarah Steverman

Director, State Policy

Steve VetznerSenior Director, Media Relations

Adam Swanson

Policy Fellow, Summer 2012

Today’s Objectives

•Policy Landscape/Backdrop

•Capitol Hill Day

•Facilitate Registration for Cap Hill Day

The following excerpt from Congressional Quarterly’s editor frames the fiscal challenges ahead:

Not even the relatively golden light that’s supposed to break over the Capitol between an election and the start of a new year will be sufficient to help Washington’s leaders tackle the fiscal cliff. It is so high and treacherous that the most Republicans and Democrats will agree on is to back away from the crumbling rock for a few more months. Look for the debt ceiling to be increased by only a few hundred billion dollars, for the across-the-board sequester cuts to be put on hold for a few months and for the Bush tax cuts to be left alone for an equivalent amount of time. As a practical matter, the new deadline is probably beyond the first natural break in next year’s congressional calendar, a Passover and Easter recess the last week in March. That is, after all, just nine weeks after Obama or Romney takes the oath of office. A more realistic expectation is for another round of all-nighters in the run-up to Memorial Day 2013.

House and Senate Budgets

The House of Representatives passed a budget resolution (H.Con.Res.112) on March 29th by a partisan vote of 228-191.

The proposal by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would make dangerous cuts to Medicaid ($810 billion over the next 10 years and convert it into a block grant) and would also gut health discretionary funding by at least 9 percent below FY12 and well below the levels agreed to last year under the deficit reduction-debt ceiling plan (the Budget Control Act).

The Senate defeated a string of budgets similar to the Ryan House Budget earlier this month. The Senate Majority Leader has asserted that the Senate Democrats will not bring to the floor a budget resolution because last summer’s debt-ceiling law (BCA) essentially serves as an actual budget.

Reconciliation

The House approved sweeping legislation in May to cut $310 billion from the deficit over the next decade – much of it from safety net programs – and shift some of that savings to the Pentagon to stave off automatic military spending cuts scheduled for next year. The bill passed by a vote of 218-to-199, again without a single Democratic vote.

Sequestration (effective January 2nd)

The Super Committee or the Gang of 12 (set forth by the BCA) failed to produce a deficit reduction agreement and as a result set into motion a plan which is known as sequestration, which refers to the sequestering of funds each year in an effort to reduce a deficit total.

The looming sequester will cut nonexempt, nondiscretionary programs by about 7-10 percent across the board in 2013. Such draconian cuts – on top of cuts domestic programs have already sustained since fiscal year 2010 – will devastate basic programs and services Americans rely on to keep them safe and secure.

Appropriations

Even by adopting the Congressionally-passed Budget Control Act allocations for this year, in real terms, the commitment to reducing discretionary funding is 15.5 percent compared to what was appropriated in fiscal year 2010. In other words, there has already been significant reductions to nondiscretionary funding since 2010 whereby agencies, including public health research, services and supports are now at a perilous tipping point.

The Senate is expected to mark up their Labor-HHS-Education bill on June 12th, while the House is not expected to mark up their bill until after the Supreme Court decision on ACA.

Capitol Hill Day – July 25th – 26th

In keeping with our strong commitment to Capitol Hill Day, MHA is partnering for the first time with the National Council and USPRA for Capitol Hill Day.

Given that MHA’s annual conference will take place in Tulsa, OK on September 19-21, this partnership offers a significant opportunity to come together as a community to amplify our voices on Capitol Hill while keeping attendees' expenses to a minimum.

Capitol Hill Day is one of Mental Health America's most important annual events.

This inaugural partnership will take place over two days:

Monday, June 25 to hear from Hill and Administration staff, as well as other leaders in our field; and

Tuesday, June 26 to march to the Hill and visit with attendees’ Senators and Representatives.

Capitol Hill Day: Preview the ScheduleMonday, June 25, 2012Registration/Materials Pick-up7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Hyatt Regency HotelRegency FoyerOpening Breakfast, visit exhibit hall 7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Hyatt Regency Hotel Regency BallroomPublic Policy Institute Sessions 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Linda Rosenberg, President & CEO, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare: Opening Remarks8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.Regency BallroomAri Shapiro, NPR News: 2012 Elections Update9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.Regency BallroomAppropriations Panel (Richard Hamburg, Trust for America's Health; Julio Abreu, Mental Health America; Lisa Bernhardt, Senate Appropriations Committee)10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Regency Ballroom

Breakout Sessions (Click here to vote for what breakout sessions you'd like to see!)11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.-Building Your Advocacy Toolkit: Rikki Amos, Associate Director, Political Involvement Programs, Public Affairs Council (Location TBA)-Winning Techniques for Influencing Congress & Getting Results: Cherilyn Cepriano (Location TBA)-Supreme Court: Implications of the Affordable Care Act Decision: Patricia A. Millett, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP (Location TBA)-Non-Wonk's Guide to Health Reform: National Council staff (Location TBA)Lunch, visit exhibit hall12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.Dual Eligibles and Managed Care Panel (Thomas Johnson, Medicaid Health Plans of America; Kelly Whitener, Senate Finance Committee;Melanie Bella, Federal Coordinated Health Care Office - invited)12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.Regency BallroomFormer Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR): Raising the Profile of Mental Health & Addictions in Congress1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.Regency Ballroom

Break, visit exhibit hall2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.National Council Staff: 2012 Hill Day Asks3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.Regency BallroomJoe Hallal, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Million Hearts Initiative 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Regency BallroomBuilding a Health Home (Mary Pat Farkas, CMS; Alicia Smith, Health Management Associates; Tim Swinfard, Missouri Coalition of CMHCs) 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.Regency Ballroom

Capitol Hill Reception 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Refreshments will be served.Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50

Tuesday, June 26, 2012Breakfast 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.Regency FoyerState Delegation Meet-ups8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Regency BallroomHill Day Send-off (Speaker TBA)9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Regency BallroomWalk to Capitol Steps for group photo9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.Group Photos on Capitol Steps9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.West steps of the Capitol

Attendee Reception5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Refreshments will be served.Regency Ballroom

Four Topic Areas for Capitol Hill Day

•Appropriations Request for SAMHSA

•The Behavioral Health IT Act (S.539)

•The Excellence in Mental Health Act (S.2257)

•The Mental Health in Schools Act of 2011 (H.R. 751)

Emerging Themes:

•Federal investments are needed especially as states cut back

•Integration

The Behavioral Health Information Technology Act (S. 539) , introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) with a bipartisan group of 16 Senators as cosponsors, would extend financial incentives for the meaningful use of electronic health records to specified mental health and addiction treatment providers and facilities.

S. 539 authorizes psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers, clinical psychologists, and substance use treatment providers to participate in grant programs like the Regional Extension Centers and Beacon Communities under the HITECH Act of 2009 and qualify for financial incentives for the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) through the HITECH Act’s Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement systems.

This legislation corrects an oversight in the 2009 HITECH Act that excluded these key providers of mental health and substance use treatment services from specific categories of incentive fund eligibility that would provide them with much-needed funding to enhance quality of care.

The Excellence in Mental Health Act (S. 2257), introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and 2 cosponsors, would bolster our nation’s community mental health and addictions system, providing new support for integrated and simplified treatment that will improve Americans’ health and lower costs for the federal and state governments.

S. 2257 would bolster our nation’s community mental health and addictions system, providing new support for integrated and simplified treatment that will improve Americans’ health and lower costs for the federal and state governments. This legislation will create a new, voluntary pathway for community mental health and addictions organizations to become Federally Qualified Community Behavioral Health Centers (FQCBHCs).

Organizations would have to deliver specified services and meet requirements with respect to reporting, standards of care, and oversight. In return, FQCBHC status would offer a foundation for a whole-person approach to health that recognizes community behavioral healthcare organizations’ experience and potential in treating complex patients with difficult healthcare needs.

The Mental Health in Schools Act of 2011 (H.R. 751), introduced by Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA), a Co-Chair of the House Mental Health Caucus, introduced this bi-partisan bill on February 17th, 2011, would:

•Expand the availability of comprehensive school-based mental health services for students in communities across the U.S. •The evidence is clear that a key component of academic success is addressing the mental health of our nation’s students – healthier students learn and perform better. Similar legislation was introduced last Congress. •There is not a Senate companion bill at this time.

Important Websites

www.mentalhealthamerica.net

www.thenationalcouncil.org

June 8th Council’s “Get Ready for Hill Day” Webinar, 2-3:30pmhttps://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/521799874

If you have any questions, please email me @

jabreu@mentalhealthamerica.net