Clip files / Local news from the states
Clip files / Local news from the states
State mental health advocacy plan draws fire
PHOENIX—Arizona health officials have shut down a watchdog group that monitors state programs for the mentally ill and will do their own policing. Though the group was funded by the Department of Health Services, it operated independently to ensure fair treatment for people with serious mental illness. The state says it can do a better job with its new human rights office and save money.
Some local advocates are cautiously optimistic; others aren’t so sure. "It’s the fox guarding the hen house," said Sue Davis, executive director of the Arizona Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Meanwhile, another watchdog group for people with mental illnesses, a state-mandated Human Rights Committee, has limped along for months trying to hammer out operating rules with the state. The group is now ready to go, but has no funds to operate.
Advocates say both groups are essential to make sure that ValueOptions, a for-profit national mental health firm, fulfills its $200 million contract to care for indigent mentally ill adults and children. Both the firm and state have repeatedly come under fire for not providing care. The watchdog groups help clients navigate the complex mental health system and review all incidents involving clients, including deaths.
—Arizona Republic, Jan. 2
Iowa GOP cool to Medicaid spending plan
DES MOINES, IA—Republican leaders have declined to back Gov. Tom Vilsack’s plan to tap several existing state accounts to pay for an $18.4 million shortfall in Medicaid spending for the needy. The lawmakers said that the proposal would produce only short-term results and that tougher measures, such as reducing optional benefits or eliminating some recipients, might be a solution.
"We are saying at this time we don’t think his idea is the best alternative," said Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson (R-Dows). "We haven’t discussed how we’re going to solve the long-term problem. It’s not going to be pleasant, but when we don’t have the money, what are we going to do?"
Vilsack, a Democrat, had sent letters to legislative leaders asking for their support for moving money from the Senior Living Trust Fund, used for improvements in elderly care; the Tobacco Trust Fund, which contains tobacco settlement money; and an account to buy new state patrol cars.
—Des Moines Register, Jan. 9
Mississippi legislators reject Medicaid bailout
JACKSON, MS—Key Mississippi legislators have rejected Gov. Ronnie Musgrove’s Medicaid bailout proposal and moved forward with their plan that includes cuts to Medicaid providers and using tobacco trust fund money.
House Public Health and Welfare Committee chairman Bobby Moody said cost-containment measures and limited use of money from the state’s tobacco lawsuit settlement seem better approaches to resolving the escalating Medicaid costs than what the governor proposes.
The governor wanted to use funds other than tobacco money this fiscal year to address Medicaid’s $148 million deficit, but in his 2003 budget, he wants to divert annual payments to the Health Care Trust Fund to pay for health care needs.
—Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Jan. 31
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State Spending on Mental Health 1955 & 1997 (in billions of dollars) Percentage Growth in State Spending on Corrections & Mental Health (1990-1997)Subscribe Now for Access
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