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SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Registration: 8:30am
Shotgun Start: 10am
Chateau Elan
Braselton, GA
Honorary Chairs
Senator Renee Unterman
Representative Katie Dempsey
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
5:00PM
at the offices of
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Atlantic Station
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| ADVOCACY UPDATE April 6, 2016 |
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Because there is no health without Mental Health!
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Mental Health America of Georgia - Legislative Update
Weeks 9 and 10: March 15th to March 24th
The legislative session ended on Thursday, March 24th. Because 2016 is the second year of the biennial session, no bills will be held over to be heard next year. Any bill that gets introduced next year must start over from the beginning - even if the bill was already heard during this legislative session.
Budget HR 751 passed the full senate. It will now go into mediation between the House and Senate. This is done through a budget committee made up of 3 Senators and 3 Representatives.
The Fiscal Year 2017 General Budget is $23.7 Billion.
SB 271: Senator Burke
This bill brings up the difficult subject of involuntary hospitalization for people with mental illness. The bill outlines procedures for involuntary commitment; in particular, it establishes the requirement for a Committee for Continued Involuntary Treatment Review at each hospital. As described in the bill, this committee would consist of physicians and possibly psychologists. This is a medical model which does not take into account the knowledge and recommendations of people with lived experience. The bill also addresses the right of the individual to receive written notice of his/her right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus [legal action by which people can seek relief from involuntary detention]. Also included in the language of the bill would be a period, not to exceed one year, where a person could be ordered into involuntary treatment. The bill does not indicate specific times or procedures for any reviews during this period of time.
SB 271 was passed in the Senate and the House and is now awaiting the Governor's signature.
SB 302: Senator Martin
This bill requires health carriers to maintain accurate provider directories that are easily accessible to the public. The bill details requirements that health carriers: post a provider directory on their website; provide a print copy of the provider directory upon request; update each network plan on the provider directory every 30 days; include a dedicated email and telephone number for the public to report confusing or inaccurate information listed in the provider directory; and conduct an annual review of the entire provider directory, including follow up with each listed provider to ensure that the information is accurate and complete. Additionally, the bill specifies that if a covered individual sought services based on inaccurate or misleading information contained in the provider directory, the Commissioner may require the health carrier to reimburse the individual for any amount beyond what he or she would have paid for an in-network provider.
The bill passed out of the Senate by substitute on February 25th and passed in the House on March 14th. It is now awaiting the governor's signature.
SR 974: Senator Unterman
This resolution was introduced on February 11th to create the Surprise Billing Practices Study Committee in order to examine surprise medical bills from out of network providers.
This resolution was passed on March 22nd.
SR 1056: Senator Rhett
This resolution would create a study committee on the Premium Assistance Program, an alternative to Medicaid expansion that assists individuals to purchase health insurance through private group plans.
This resolution was passed on March 22nd.
SR 1165: Senator Miller
This resolution was introduced on March 10th to create a study committee on Opioid Abuse.
This resolution was passed on March 22nd.
HB 498: Representative Hawkins
This bill would provide Licensed Professional Counselors with the legal authority to diagnose mental health conditions, provided that they have graduate level education, training, and supervised experience, or its equivalency, working with people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance use.
This bill did not pass.
HB 722: Representative Peake
This bill addresses the ongoing legislative conversation surrounding medical use of cannabis products in the state of Georgia. This legislation would increase who would be covered under the category of medical necessity, as well as the legal percentage of THC permitted in medical products. The bill is inclusive of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, among other specified conditions.
This bill did not pass.
HB 768: Representative Hawkins
This bill establishes the Georgia Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program. The bill creates a qualified ABLE program in the state of Georgia that will allow individuals to create tax-exempt savings accounts to pay for the qualified expenses of eligible individuals with disabilities. Any person can make contributions to the account, including the beneficiary, family, and/or friends. Mental Health America of Georgia would like to ensure that this bill is inclusive of people with mental illness, as in the federal ABLE legislation.
This bill passed and is awaiting the Governor's signature.
HB 897: Representative Price
This bill provides for the establishment of a drug repository program, created through the Board of Community Health and the Board of Public Health, to accept and dispense unused prescription drugs donated for Georgia residents who meet eligibility criteria. The drugs must be sealed and unopened, and any person, including drug manufacturers or health care facilities, could donate prescription drugs to this program. Drugs would be dispensed only with a valid prescription.
This bill passed and is waiting for the Governor's signature.
HB 859: Representative Jaspers
This bill authorizes the carrying and possession of handguns by weapons carry license holders in public institutions of postsecondary education.
This bill has passed the House floor and the Senate as of March 11th. The vote was 37 yes, 17 no, one excused and one no vote. You can read how your Senator voted by going on the www.legis.ga.gov
web site. Please pay particular attention to the senators who voted no. You may want to drop them an e-mail to say thank you. Below you will also find talking points about suicide, guns and colleges, pointing out the correlation between campus suicide and access to lethal means, like firearms. The only way to now stop this dangerous bill is through the Governor's office. Take a minute and e-mail the Governor and share the data collected on the talking point page. Also, you might drop a note to the paper in your area and share this frightening demographic about college students and suicide.
It is so difficult to know about all the hard work people across Georgia are doing to prevent these tragic deaths and then listen to this debate. The Governor can STOP this bill by a simple VETO.
GUNS, SUICIDE AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES
According to Emory University:
- Fifty four percent of completed suicides are by firearms.
- There are more than 1000 suicides on college campuses every year.
- One in ten college students have made a plan for suicide
- Approximately 5.2 percent of Emory students have seriously considered suicide within the past 12 months, and .9 percent of Emory students have made an attempt in the past 12 months.
- Suicidal thoughts, making plans for suicide, and suicide attempts are higher among young adults age 18 to 25 than among adults over the age of 26.
- Lifetime thoughts of attempting suicide are reported to occur among 5 percent of graduate students and 18 percent of undergraduates.
- Groups that are particularly at risk for ideation and attempt are male, white, and under the age of 21
- In the 20 to 24 age range, there is an 80 percent chance of death from a suicide using a firearm - access to lethal means increases risk of death by suicide
Research has demonstrated a correlation between policies that PROHIBIT firearms on campus and decreased campus suicide rates
Risk factors specific to college students include:
- New environment
- Loss of social network
- Loss of safety net found at home
- Pressure academically or socially
- Isolation and alienation
- Lack of coping skills
- Difficulty adjusting to new demands of college life
- Decreased academic performance and subsequent feelings of failure
- Experimentation with drugs and alcohol
- Unwillingness to seek help
- Access to lethal means
HR 1093: Representative Alexander
This bill is a House Resolution in conjunction with the Senate Resolution (SR 722) to establish a Study Committee on Mental Health Initiatives, Reform, Public Health, and Safety. As with the Senate resolution, Mental Health America of Georgia is interested in determining the direction of this committee.
This resolution passed on March 24th.
HR 1254: Representative Stephens
This resolution urges Medicaid care management organizations in the state of Georgia to cover certain medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In particular, the drug Vyvanse was removed from the Preferred Drug Listing for Medicaid patients of the Georgia Medicaid Care Management Organization, WellCare, and CareMark. The resolution urges the Georgia Department of Community Health to insist that Medicaid care management organizations provide full coverage for extended release ADHD medications, including Vyvanse.
This resolution passed on March 22nd.
You can follow all of these as well as future bills at
www.legis.ga.gov. This website also posts the schedule and agenda for committee meetings. If you plan to attend a committee meeting on a mental health/co-occurring substance use issue, please contact Ellyn Jeager (
[email protected]
) or Sarah Yoss (
[email protected]
).
Ellyn Jeager, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
Sarah Yoss, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
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| TAKE A PROACTIVE STAND! What's the best way to make your voice heard? Have you been to the Capitol lately? Being there, seeing your legislator in action or speaking with them directly is the best way to advocate on behalf of our public mental health system. If you would like to learn more about how to set up your visit and what to do when you are there, please contact Ellyn at 678-904-1965. She'll be glad to walk you through the process. |
| We need your help to move our advocacy voice forward!
MHA of GA is a leader in the mental health advocacy community. You can learn more on our website,
www.mhageorgia.org.
Your donation will help ensure that MHA of GA continues to keep mental health awareness in front of Georgia's legislators. This is a critical time for our community, and now is the time to act!! Click here to support mental health advocacy in the state of Georgia. |
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