Changes in Behavioral Health System

Arizona's state agencies have been working on ways to protect coverage and services for individuals with behavioral health needs. Changes and innovations are being implemented to reinforce the behavioral health system.  

By reducing administrative costs and health provider reimbursement rates, more of the state's resources will be available for services. Encouraging the integration of physical and behavioral healthcare among behavioral health providers with acute care health plans and community health centers is a continuing initiative.  

Read Letter to Stakeholders: http://www.azdhs.gov/bhs/pdf/DBHS_StakeholderLetter_8-9-11.pdf

Cuts to Arizona's Medicaid Program Allowed

Maricopa County Superior Court upheld a partial enrollment freeze for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). The ruling means an enrollment cap for childless adults will remain in place, eliminating an estimated 110,000 people from the rolls in the coming year and freezing out a number of low-income Arizonans. The issue will likely be brought to the Arizona Court of Appeals. Read more and here.

Good Budget News

Excerpted from Childrens' Action Alliance newsletter

The state's fiscal year ended on a much higher note than had been anticipated when the budget was enacted in April. The adopted budget assumed the state would end the year with a $332 million shortfall, to be made up in the following fiscal year. The shortfall is now estimated to be no more than $32 million.  When legislators return in January, they may be faced with a question they have not had to deal with in recent years - what to do with $300 million in unallocated funds? 
 

Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a new Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration designed to provide states with more flexibility and resources to care for Medicaid beneficiaries with mental illnesses.

Currently, in order for states to receive federal reimbursement for psychiatric emergencies warranting hospitalization, Medicaid patients must receive services in settings such as general hospital emergency rooms, which can often result in higher cost and less appropriate care. This demonstration will permit federal reimbursement for psychiatric emergencies in institutions for mental diseases (IMD), and enable states to ensure the provision of needed services at lower cost. CMS is now accepting applications to participate in this demonstration.  More information 

Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requested information from Raising Special Kids last week on the effectiveness of Charter School's in educating children with disabilities.

The GAO is an independent, non-partisan federal agency that assists the Congress in its constitutional duties by evaluating programs receiving public funding to determine if they meet expected performance requirements, and to provide accountability for taxpayer dollars.

In addition to information, the GAO requested an opportunity to hear from parents of students enrolled in Charter Schools. Parents reported the benefit of smaller class sizes and more individual attention to learning needs, as well as significant challenges in obtaining appropriate services under IDEA, and experience with denial of access to enrollment and admission to Charter Schools.

School Transportation for Children with Disabilities

Every year, Raising Special Kids receives calls about children with disabilities who were put on the wrong bus at school, dropped off at the wrong house, or as last week's news revealed, left inside a parked school van.   

For a child with a disability, transportation is considered a related service in the IEP and should be addressed with the child's school or pre-school. When a parent is concerned about a transportation issue, they may immediately request a meeting to add a transportation plan to the child's IEP. Include all the child's safety issues, (e.g. the child is primarily non-verbal and unable to tell a bus driver information) and specify the need for more supervision. Parents need to be thoughtful about making suggestions and developing a plan with their child's pre-school or school. Raising Special Kids can provide free assistance for parents in developing a transportation plan for the IEP.

Back to School Kit for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities

Learn how - and why - to become an effective advocate and ally for your child with LD. From understanding your child's disability and special education law, to managing your emotions, to communicating effectively

FAQ: Debt Deal "Super" Committee's Impact on Health Spending Explained

Kaiser Health News

The deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling has prompted many questions about how a special "super committee" established by the law will affect federal health care programs. By the day before Thanksgiving, the bipartisan panel of 12 lawmakers must report recommendations to trim at least $1.2 trillion in federal spending over the next decade. If the committee members don't reach consensus, or if Congress does not approve a package by Dec. 23, a series of automatic spending cuts would kick in by 2013, creating additional pressure on the panel to act. Kaiser Health News has provided a guide to how the panel's deliberations could influence Medicare and Medicaid.

Getting a Job! Website

PEPNet's Getting a Job! Tools, Techniques, and Trainings website was designed for students who are deaf or hard of hearing transitioning to work and the professionals who work with them. The website offers a series of topical videos accompanied by supporting documents and related materials, educator's guides and role model videos. ASL is the source language for these videos. They are also captioned and voiced in English. More>>>

Parents' Decisions about Newborn Screening for Fragile X Syndrome
Findings from a pilot study on parents' reactions to an invitation for their newborns to be screened for Fragile X Syndrome were published in a recent issue of Pediatrics. A summary of the study is now available at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/FPG-Snapshot-63.pdf . For more information about the Fragile X Newborn Screening Study, go to http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~fxnewborn/