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DGR Telephone:
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Follow APA Advocacy on Twitter!
The APA Department of Government Relations is now on Twitter! Now you can find out about APA Advocacy activities, Congressional hearings, mark-ups, and floor votes in real time.
Please click on the following link to start following APA Advocacy Twitter:
http://twitter.com/apa_
advocacy
Questions about the Twitter page or how to set up an account? Please contact Kyle Folsom at advocacy@psych.org. |
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APA Expresses Concern over Proposed Cuts to Medicaid
The APA joined 52 mental health organizations this week in signing a letter to Congressional leadership expressing concern over proposed cuts to Medicaid in any deficit reduction agreement. The letter, submitted by the Mental Health Liaison Group, asked Congress explicitly to avoid proposals that would cut, block grant, or impose spending caps on Medicaid. It further argued that while tough decisions must be made in the current fiscal climate, the nation's poorest and most vulnerable citizens - many of whom suffer from severe mental health disorders - should not be asked to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden. |
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Deficit Reduction Talks Stall; Face Uncertain Future
On June 23 the ongoing bipartisan deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Biden broke down after Democratic and Republican negotiators could not agree on key spending cuts and revenue increases. As of the morning of June 24 no new discussions have been scheduled. A separate group of Senators, known collectively as the Gang of Six, continue to meet behind closed doors. Given the secrecy of the Biden talks, it is not known what exactly was discussed over the previous six weeks, although it is likely both Medicare and Medicaid comprised part of the negotiations. Republican members in particular have advocated for spending caps on both programs and turning Medicaid into a block grant program. Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to repeal the Maintenance of Effort requirement and address the Sustainable Growth Rate.
On a related note, Families USA has released an informative document outlining how drastic Medicaid cuts would affect individual states. According to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the United States will default on its debt obligations if the ceiling is not raised by August 2. Given the current impasse in negotiations, it is not known what Congress will do next. Some possibilities include bringing President Obama into negotiations directly and passing a short-term measure that raises the debt ceiling. More will be known next week. |
Medicare Balanced Billing Legislation Introduced
Currently under Medicare, beneficiaries and physicians are barred from privately contracting with one another unless the physician has opted out of Medicare entirely. H.R.1700 and S.1042, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act, introduced respectively by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would create an out-of-network benefit for Medicare whereby either the patient or physician could submit claims for Medicare fee-for-service benefits then subsequently contract for additional fees on a case-by-case basis. It would allow Medicare recipients to apply their benefits to see physicians who would otherwise not be willing to see a Medicare patient, as opposed to paying for the entire cost out of pocket as would occur if the physician had opted out of Medicare entirely. These bills would not allow private contracting in emergency/urgent care situation nor would they allow private contracting with those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid ('duals').
To read the physician community support letter for H.R.1700 and S.1042, click here. |
2010 Annual Report
The American Psychiatric Association is pleased to present the 2010 Annual Report, The New Generation of Psychiatry.This year the Office of Communications and Public Affairs has utilized a new format for its 2010 Annual Report. The report consists of a mini-website. In it you will find expanded information about the APA's many divisions and departments and the organization's accomplishments in 2010. The website has several interactive features, including several videos and a slideshow we hope you will watch. Whether you are a PC, or a MAC user we want you to have the best viewing experience so we strongly recommend that you use the latest Internet Explorer (8.0.6 - do not enable Compatibility View) or Firefox web browser. We also recommend that you download the latest Adobe Flash Player so that you can enjoy watching the videos that are an integral part of the annual report mini website. The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is available as a free download. |
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