Health News
- $3.5 Million In Grants Allocated Across State To Treat Heroin And Prescription Drug Addiction And Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
As part of the heroin legislation passed this year, community mental health centers and residential treatment facilities across the state will receive more than $3.5 million in grants to help treat prescription drug and heroin abuse, and address neonatal...
- Kentucky Receives An F Grade For Its Low Funding Of Mental-health Services; Supply Falls Short Of Demand
Kentucky's supply of mental-health services is much lower than demand for those services, in terms of state funding, and the state spends only 45 percent of the national average in mental-health funding per person. In 2010, Kentucky dedicated...
- Directory Listing 2,500 Substance-abuse Treatment Resources In Kentucky Released; Every County Has At Least One Facility
There are 2,500 resources for substance abuse treatment in Kentucky, with at least one in each county, research at the University of Kentucky has found. "In addition to the 345 state-certified substance abuse treatment providers listed in the directory,...
- Illinois Begins Essential Health Benefits Discussion
Governor Pat Quinn recently announced that the benchmark plan for Illinois? Essential Health Benefits (EHB) package will be chosen by September 30, in order to meet the Federal deadline for selecting a plan. A public meeting on Wednesday, September 12th,...
- Essential Health Benefits In Illinois - What's Next?
In December 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services released long-awaited regulations on the Essential Health Benefits (EHB). A major piece of the Affordable Care Act, EHB will define the minimum level of coverage that must be offered in plans...
Health News
Essential-benefits rule expands mental-health and substance-abuse coverage; Ky. needs more facilities to treat newly eligible
The Department of Health and Human Services has defined the 10 "essential health benefits" insurance plans must provide, and it included benefits for mental health and treatment of substance-abuse disorders..
Nearly 20 percent of Americans don't have access to mental-health services and over 30 percent have no coverage for substance-abuse treatment. This rule will expand mental health and substance-abuse treatment benefits to 62 million Americans, according to HHS.
Nearly 20 percent of Americans don't have access to mental-health services and over 30 percent have no coverage for substance-abuse treatment. This rule will expand mental health and substance-abuse treatment benefits to 62 million Americans, according to HHS.
Expanded coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs in Kentucky could bring about a dramatic shift in the delivery of these services. There is already a shortage of treatment options and centers for Kentuckians, and those suffering from addiction have not had coverage for such treatment; the proposed rule will change that.
Recovery Kentucky, a public-private partnership with residential facilities, was created to help Kentuckians recover from substance abuse. It has 10 centers, in Campbellsville, Erlanger, Florence, Harlan, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, and Richmond, according to the 2012 Justice & Public Safety Cabinet report, which included the map below.
Health-insurance plans must cover the 10 essential benefits beginning in 2014, so the state must prepare for the newly insured in addition to newly covered services. The rule defines what must be covered in insurance plans and bans discrimination based on age or pre-existing conditions. Among the core package of items and services, known as ?essential health benefits" are items and services in the following categories:
- Ambulatory patient services
- Emergency services
- Hospitalization
- Maternity and newborn care
- Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
- $3.5 Million In Grants Allocated Across State To Treat Heroin And Prescription Drug Addiction And Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
As part of the heroin legislation passed this year, community mental health centers and residential treatment facilities across the state will receive more than $3.5 million in grants to help treat prescription drug and heroin abuse, and address neonatal...
- Kentucky Receives An F Grade For Its Low Funding Of Mental-health Services; Supply Falls Short Of Demand
Kentucky's supply of mental-health services is much lower than demand for those services, in terms of state funding, and the state spends only 45 percent of the national average in mental-health funding per person. In 2010, Kentucky dedicated...
- Directory Listing 2,500 Substance-abuse Treatment Resources In Kentucky Released; Every County Has At Least One Facility
There are 2,500 resources for substance abuse treatment in Kentucky, with at least one in each county, research at the University of Kentucky has found. "In addition to the 345 state-certified substance abuse treatment providers listed in the directory,...
- Illinois Begins Essential Health Benefits Discussion
Governor Pat Quinn recently announced that the benchmark plan for Illinois? Essential Health Benefits (EHB) package will be chosen by September 30, in order to meet the Federal deadline for selecting a plan. A public meeting on Wednesday, September 12th,...
- Essential Health Benefits In Illinois - What's Next?
In December 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services released long-awaited regulations on the Essential Health Benefits (EHB). A major piece of the Affordable Care Act, EHB will define the minimum level of coverage that must be offered in plans...