It got a huge bit done on behavioral health, including passage of the Excellence in Mental Health Act and funding for mental health firstaid training, the last Congress was criticized for lack of action.
Those are just first steps, and they require the majority of followup work.
As the Affordable Care Act implementation continues to roll out, likewise behavioral health executives will monitor how it impacts their practices. Notice, in 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also is expected to release new guidelines regarding parity in the Medicaid managed care market. Top policy issue that will unfold in 2015, observers say, involves parity enforcement now that the rules are on the books.
All eyes gonna be on state insurance commissioners as they monitor compliance among health plans, final regulations of the Federal Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act went into effect in January.
It creates criteria for certified community behavioral health clinicsas entities designed to serve individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders to ensure a range of services is available.
One key policy move this year was set up by the April 2014 the Excellence passage in Mental Health Act. Later this year states will begin applying for the $ 25 million in planning grants for the two year demonstration program. Also, federal officials with SAMHSA and CMS have spent time with state insurance commissioners striving to answer their questions and provide technical assistance.