MHA Policy/ Capitol Hill Day Webinar
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
2:30 – 3:30 pm (ET)
PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT
Julio C. Abreu
Senior Director, Government Affairs
Sarah Steverman
Director, State Policy
Steve Vetzner
Senior 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 710 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 Schedule
Monday, June 25, 2012
Registration/Materials Pick-up
7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Hyatt Regency Hotel
Regency Foyer
Opening Breakfast, visit exhibit hall
7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Hyatt Regency Hotel
Regency Ballroom
Public Policy Institute Sessions
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Linda Rosenberg, President & CEO, National Council for Community Behavioral
Healthcare: Opening Remarks
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Regency Ballroom
Ari Shapiro, NPR News: 2012 Elections Update
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Regency Ballroom
Appropriations 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 hall
12:00 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 Ballroom
Former Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR): Raising the Profile of Mental Health & Addictions
in Congress
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Regency Ballroom
Break, visit exhibit hall
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
National Council Staff: 2012 Hill Day Asks
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Regency Ballroom
Joe Hallal, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Million Hearts Initiative
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Regency Ballroom
Building 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, 2012
Breakfast
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Regency Foyer
State Delegation Meet-ups
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Regency Ballroom
Hill Day Send-off (Speaker TBA)
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Regency Ballroom
Walk to Capitol Steps for group photo
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Group Photos on Capitol Steps
9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
West steps of the Capitol
Attendee Reception
5:00 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, 2-3:30pm
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/521799874
If you have any questions, please email me @
jabreu@mentalhealthamerica.net