Health Reform Update - 11/13/09
Update: House Passes Healthcare Bill
After months of work, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of healthcare reform legislation, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, on Saturday, November 7th. The vote was 220-215, with 39 Democrats joining all but one Republican in voting against the bill.
As a result of the strong advocacy efforts of the Coalition for Whole Health and many others, the healthcare reform bill passed by the House contains a number of very good provisions to expand substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support services and mental health services for millions of Americans. Specifically, the healthcare reform bill passed by the House:
- Includes substance use disorder and mental health benefits in the minimum benefit package that all qualified health plans will be required to offer
- Expands the Wellstone/Domenici addiction and mental health parity law to all qualified health insurance plans, including small group and individual plans
- Creates workforce development grants for providers of substance use disorder and mental health services
- Covers certain preventive services for policies offered through small group and individual plans that will expand access to addictive disorder and mental illness screenings for adults and adolescents
- Authorizes grants for substance use disorder and mental illness screening, brief intervention and treatment
- Includes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the list of agencies to be consulted for the development of a national prevention and wellness plan
The bill passed by the House also expands Medicaid eligibility to everyone below 150 percent of the federal poverty level and includes a number of important insurance market reforms that will make it easier for those in need of health services, including substance use disorder and mental health services, to receive the care they need.
SAAS Members Advocate for Full Inclusion of Addiction Services and Providers in Reform
In the weeks and days before the historic House vote on healthcare reform, SAAS members from almost 20 states were in Washington to meet with their Congressional delegations to reiterate the importance of the full range of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services and providers being included in final reform legislation. Recently, Florida, New York and Illinois were particularly well represented as a number of providers from the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State and the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association came to Washington to advocate for full inclusion in healthcare reform and for increased funding for the full continuum of drug and alcohol services and research. As a result, just days before the critical vote in the House, dozens of lawmakers heard first-hand the importance for their states of maintaining the strong addiction and mental health provisions in the healthcare reform bill.
While the vote in the House was an important step towards final passage of healthcare reform, the next few weeks remain critical. The Senate continues to meld the bills passed by the HELP and Finance Committees and is expected to begin floor debate as early as next week. Before legislation can be signed into law by the President, the Senate will have to pass its version of healthcare reform, and the House bill will have to be melded with the Senate version and passed a final time by both chambers. We will need your help to ensure strong final legislation, and we will continue to keep you informed throughout this process. Please check our healthcare reform website regularly for updates and information about action alerts.
Join the Campaign!!
These advocacy efforts are just the beginning. As a friend of the substance use disorder field and as someone who believes in the power of advocacy and the reality of recovery, we know that you will find the National Advocacy Campaign for Smarter and More Effective Drug and Alcohol Policies as exciting as we do. In order to make the work of the campaign possible, please consider joining the effort to change alcohol and drug policies. Become a member by making a contribution. To join the campaign, click here. Thank you for your support!
