Health Care Reform Updates

As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, several provisions went into effect on September 23, 2010:

• Youth, up to the age of 26, will be able to remain on their parent’s health insurance policies.
• Children with pre-existing conditions, like autism or asthma, can not be denied coverage.
• With the exception of consumer fraud cases, insurers’ will not be able to cancel health insurance policies.
• Insurers can’t deny claims, without providing the insured an opportunity to appeal.
• Limits on the amount of money insurers will pay in insurance claims over a lifetime will be prohibited.
• Restrictions on the insurers’ ability to impose annual limits on the value of insurance benefits will be implemented
• Coverage will be provided for some preventative services, such as depression screening, alcohol and drug use assessments, and behavioral assessments for children.

Health Care Reform: What School Mental Health Professionals Need to Know
This CSMH policy brief provides an overview of health care reform and the implications for school mental health. The brief highlights important changes to health care under the Affordable Care Act and its potential impact on mental health services for children and families. There is also a list of helpful resources and websites related to health care reform.

The websites listed below will continue to provide updated information about health care reform:

http://www.samhsa.gov/healthreform This website has information on grant opportunities related to prevention, workforce development, demonstration projects, and service provision for clients with Medicaid.  There are specific funding opportunities that will become available to support the operation of school-based health centers

http://www.healthcare.gov This is a federal government website that is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that provides information to aid in the understanding of the Affordable Care Act, including information on the timeline for implementation, aids consumers in accessing affordable health insurance coverage.  

http://mentalhealthcarereform.org This is a very informative blog that is supported by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare that contains information about the insurance regulations, provides updates on new legislation, and grant opportunities. 

http://ccf.georgetown.edu/index/hcr A section of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families website contains links to several helpful resources, including a summary of the laws, a children’s health policy blog, and several publications on health care reform implementation.

http://www.ncsl.org/Default.aspx?TabID=160&tabs=831,139,1156#1156 The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has a website dedicated to health reform implementation, including information about the federal law, Medicaid, and grants. The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staff of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. 

http://healthreform.kff.org/timeline.aspx This website, sponsored by the Henry J.Kaiser Family Foundation has an interactive timeline that illustrates when the provisions of the health care reform law will be implemented over the next several years.

The following documents address some of the implications of health care reform for children and adolescents, schools, individuals with mental illness, and diverse populations:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: How does it help adolescents and young adults? An issue brief published by the Center for Adolescent Health & the Law and the National Adolescent Health Information and Innovation Center addresses how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect adolescents and young adults.

Health Care Reform and Adolescents- An Agenda for the Lifespan The Society for Adolescent Medicine issued a position paper that outlines how health care reform should address the needs of adolescents and young adults.

September 23 Health Care Reforms: Making insurance work for children and families The Georgetown Center for Children and Families produced a document that summarizes the implications of health insurance reform on children and families.

How is Health Care Reform Changing School Health? National Coordinating Committee on School Health and Safety released a brief document that outlines how health care reform will affect school health.

How Will Health Reform Help People with Mental Illnesses? A document published by the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law summarizes how health reform will impact people with mental illnesses.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Advancing Ethnically Health Equity for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations A report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies identifies how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.