National Council Releases New Resources on Healthcare Reform Implementation

Posted by admin on Apr 23, 2010 in Legislative | 0 comments

The National COuncil for Community Behavioral Healthcare provides various resources to help you understand the impacts of healthcare reform.  The link below will take you to information that includes:

• Summary of the Health Reform Law
• Implementation Timeline
• Issue Brief on the New Temporary High-Risk Pool for Individuals Without Insurance

Click here to access these new resources!

New CBHC Legislative Update and Bill Tracking Slate Available

Posted by admin on Mar 24, 2010 in Legislative | 1 comment

The latest CBHC Legislative Update and Bill Tracking Slate are now available online.  Click here to read up on the latest status of important pieces of legislation impacting Colorado's community mental health system. 

Guidance Released on Implementation of Mental Health and Addictions Parity

Posted by admin on Jan 29, 2010 in Legislative | 0 comments

“Today, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor released an interim final rule (IFR) providing guidance on how the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act must be implemented.” -NCCBH

 The National Council  for Community Behavioral Health has issued a summary of the interim final rule that can be accessed on the Legislative/Public Policy page of the website. 

Click Here to See the Summary and Full Language of the Rule. 

Northern Colorado Lawmakers Hear Mental Health Concerns at Legislative Breakfast

Posted by admin on Oct 8, 2009 in Legislative, News Articles | 0 comments

Lawmakers including Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins; Rep. B. J. Nikkel, R-Loveland; Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins; Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud; Rep. Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland; Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins; and Republican County Commissioner Kathay Rennels, recently heard mental health concerns at the annual Northern Colorado Legislative Breakfast hosted by the Larimer Center for Mental Health and Foothills Gateway.  The event was a great opportunity for the policy makers to connect with their local consituency and learn about the issues facing vulnerable populations in their areas.  Lawmakers expressed commitment to supporting mental health and substance abuse services, while noting that tight fiscal constraints will be a continued challenge for the State budget. 

Click here to read more in the Northern Colorado Business Report.   

In Reforming Our Health Care System, We’d Be Crazy to Ignore the Mind

Posted by admin on Jul 23, 2009 in Legislative, News Articles | 0 comments

Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), writes an important article outlining the need to reform the current United States health care system.  Specifically, he points to the crucial need to protect parity for mental health care and expand the range of preventative and early intervention treatments for mental health and substance abuse disorders. 

Read the article in the Huffington Post online. Click Here  

Representatives Engel and Matsui Introduce Amendment for Federal Designation

Posted by admin on Jul 23, 2009 in Legislative | 0 comments

 "A definition for “Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers (FQBHCs)” was included in proposed federal legislation for the first time yesterday. The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, which has championed the creation of FQBHCs, commends Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) for introducing the definition in an amendment passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 — a bill currently under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives that seeks to provide affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans." 

Read the rest of the National Council Press Release by clicking here