(CNN)The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may now allow for states to pursue Medicaid reimbursements for short-term inpatient treatment in mental health facilities despite a decades-old exclusion, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday. In a letter to state Medicaid directors, CMS detailed a new Medicaid waiver opportunity through which states may bypass longstanding reimbursement restrictions on inpatient psychiatric treatment, which apply to mental health facilities with more than 16 beds. Azar said the original policy has posed a "significant barrier" to people getting the treatments they need. One in six US adults takes psychiatric drugs, study says "There are so many stories of Americans with serious mental illness, and their families, that end in tragic outcomes because treatment options are not available or not paid for," Azar told the National Association of Medicaid Directors on Tuesday. "More treatment options are needed, and that … [Read more...] about States may now broaden mental health treatment under Medicaid
Inpatient mental health treatment centers
States get more leeway to expand inpatient mental health
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press Published 12:50 PM EST Nov 13, 2018 Washington – The Trump administration Tuesday allowed states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid, a potentially far-reaching move to address issues from homelessness to violence. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Tuesday in a speech to state Medicaid directors, a group that represents Republican and Democratic officials from around the country who are confronting common, deeply-rooted social problems. A longstanding federal law has barred Medicaid from paying for mental health treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds, to prevent “warehousing” of the mentally ill at the expense of federal taxpayers. Azar said states will now be able to seek waivers from that restriction, provided they can satisfy certain specific requirements. “We have the worst of both worlds: limited access to … [Read more...] about States get more leeway to expand inpatient mental health
More leeway for states to expand inpatient mental health
Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Updated 11:47 am CST, Tuesday, November 13, 2018 FILE - In this June 26, 2018 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Trump administration is opening the door for states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping their Medicaid programs. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Tuesday. less FILE - In this June 26, 2018 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Trump administration is opening the ... more Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 FILE - … [Read more...] about More leeway for states to expand inpatient mental health
With Hospitalization Losing Favor, Judges Order Outpatient Mental Health Treatment
When mental illness hijacks Margaret Rodgers’ mind, she acts out. Rodgers, 35, lives with depression and bipolar disorder. When left unchecked, the conditions drive the Alabama woman to excessive spending, crying and mania. Last autumn, Rodgers felt her mind unraveling. Living in Birmingham, she was uninsured, unable to afford treatment and in the throes of a divorce. Although Rodgers traveled south to her brother’s house in Foley, Ala., for respite, she couldn’t escape thoughts of suicide, which one day led her to his gun. “I hit bottom,” she recalled. But she didn’t pull the trigger. Rodgers told her brother about the close call. News of the incident reached her mother, who then alerted authorities to Rodgers’ near attempt. Within days, Rodgers was handcuffed and hauled in front of a judge who ordered her to undergo mental health treatment — but not a hospital commitment. Instead, the judge mandated six months of care that included … [Read more...] about With Hospitalization Losing Favor, Judges Order Outpatient Mental Health Treatment
Administration pressed to expand mental health treatment
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press February 27, 2018 WASHINGTON — Amid the outcry over the Florida school shootings, the Trump administration says it is ‘‘actively exploring’’ ways to help states expand inpatient mental health treatment using Medicaid funds.President Trump again brought up the issue of mental hospitals in a meeting with governors this week, invoking a time when states maintained facilities for mentally ill and developmentally disabled people.‘‘In the old days, you would put him into a mental institution,’’ Trump said, apparently referring to alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz, whose troubling behavior prompted people close to him to plead for help from authorities, without success. ‘‘We have nothing between a prison and leaving him at his house, which we can’t do … [Read more...] about Administration pressed to expand mental health treatment