NAMI Minnesota Legislative Update s4

NAMI Minnesota Legislative Update October 8, 2017

Congress Passes Budget, Setting Stage for Senate Last Thursday, the House passed a $4.1 trillion dollar budget on a 219-206 vote, with every Democrat and a handful of Republicans in opposition. According to the National Council on Behavioral Health Care:

The new budget rules proposed in the House and Senate make clear that Congress will remain focused on passing sweeping, fundamental changes to the American health care system and Medicaid in FY2018. Though the narrative currently centers on tax reform, it is widely believed that if passed, immense cuts to Medicaid could help finance the Trump Administration's tax reform plan. For mental health and addiction advocates, FY2018 is another year for advocacy, engagement and education.

The House-approved budget would call for a number of reforms and cuts that would be harmful to Americans and leave lasting, damaging effects to the social safety net population including trillions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and other health programs. It also calls for the passage of the harmful American Health Care Act which passed the House earlier this year but failed in the Senate.

To go into effect, the same budget resolution must be approved by both the House and Senate. The Senate is expected to vote on and approve its budget framework for FY2018 this week; the current draft differs significantly from the House-passed version and will likely result in a conference committee to reconcile the two bills

Despite the lack of specifics in the House bill, it is clear that this piece of legislation will make cuts to Medicaid and Medicare reminiscent of the deeply unpopular cuts at the center of the various bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to the Associated Press, the budget bill will slash Medicaid spending by $1 trillion dollars over the next ten and require other serious cuts to federal health care spending.

NAMI continues to oppose any legislation that will transform Medicaid into a block-grant or a per-capita cap. Expect us to reach out in the coming days to discuss the ways in which we will be advocating against any cuts to Medicaid. In the meantime, here's how your congresspeople voted:

CD1: Congressman Walz did not vote

CD2: Congressman Lewis voted for the bill

CD3: Congressman Paulsen voted for the bill

CD4: Congressman McCollum voted against the bill

CD5: Congressman Ellison voted against the bill

CD6: Congressman Emmer voted for the bill

CD7: Congressman Peterson voted against the bill

CD8: Congressman Nolan voted against the bill (Note: CD means Congressional District) NAMI Minnesota State Conference November 4 The annual NAMI Minnesota state conference will be held on November 4th at the St Paul RiverCentre. This all day conference features tow keynotes: 1) Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS, the founder and president of ASHA International, as well as the author of Shadows in the Sun: Healing from Depression and Finding the Light Within and 2) Sophia Vinogradov, MD, Donald W. Hastings Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and Department Head of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

There are 18 breakout sessions on a variety of topics including results of the 2017 Legislative Session and what's ahead in 2018, what's happening on the federal level with Medicaid and insurance, criminal justice reform efforts, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Behavioral Health Homes and much more!

Cost is $60 for members, $100 for nonmembers, $35 for students and scholarships are available. There's still time to have your organization's table at the event as well. To register and learn more, click here. There are 5 CEU hours for social workers by the Board of Social Work (CEP-83). Additional CEUs are pending, and will be posted as they are finalized. Hope to see you there!

NAMI House Parties Starting to Get Scheduled We're preparing for the next Legislative Session by holding house parties, which is a chance for NAMI members to meet with their legislators and discuss our upcoming priorities for the next session. Hosting a house party is an easy way to get more involved in our advocacy efforts, so we would strongly encourage you to attend one in your district or to hold one.

All you need to do is find a space in your community - which could be anything from your home to a public space like a library or coffee shop - and find a date that works for you and your legislator. We can help you connect with other NAMI members and develop the agenda for the event itself.

Here are the House Parties we currently have scheduled:

 11/1: 7PM house party in the Eden Prairie and Minnetonka area with Senator Cwodzinski. If you live in SD 48, then you are welcome to join us!

 11/6: 9:30 AM there will be a House party in the Anoka area with Senator Abeler. If you live in SD 35, then you are invited to join us and discuss mental health policy with the chair of a Senate Health Care Committee! We're finalizing the details in a few other areas, but we still need more NAMI members to step up and host a house party. If you would like to attend a house party or serve as a host, please contact Sam Smith and he can help you organize your event!

Upcoming Events Senator Franken, Senator Durenberger, and State Senator Lourey to Participate in Forum on Federal Health Care Reform Efforts. Tony Lourey will facilitate a bipartisan conversation with Senator Franken and former Senator Durenberger to discuss federal health reform efforts. The event will take place next Friday the 13th from 3-5 PM at the Mayo Auditorium in the University of Minnesota. If you are interested, you can find more information here.

Community Oversight Board Public Forum The Community Oversight board, volunteer committee with the University of Minnesota, is hosting a public forum to discuss the use of human participants for University research on October 26th from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at the Wellstone Center on 179 Robie Street E in St. Paul. This is your chance to learn more about the use of human participants in research and share your ideas for how to protect these participants and help to develop cutting edge research. NAMI's executive director Sue Abderholden serves on this committee and will be attending this event. For more information, you can check this flyer.

Health Care Forum for DFL and GOP Gubernatorial Candidates The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) and the Zumbro Valley Medical Society are hosting two separate forums for the DFL and GOP candidates for Governor. Potential questions will include how these candidates would handle the opioid epidemic, long-term health care funding sources for public programs, rising health care costs, and uninsured or under-insured citizens. The DFL Forum will take place from 7-8:30 PM on October 17th, while the GOP forum will be at the same time on October 23rd. Both Forums will be held at the Heintz Center Commons on 1926 Collegeview Road East at the Rochester Community and Technical College. To learn more about these two forums, click here.

A Healthcare Conversation: Minnesota Style The League of Women Voters and the St. Croix Valley Women's Alliance are hosting a nonpartisan, community conversation on Healthcare. The panel will be on October 9th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Stillwater Middle School on 523 Marsh Street. Featured panelists include former acting Administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Andy Slavitt, State Senator John Marty, Dr. Matthew Eastwood of Canvas Health, and Kathleen Picard of the American Physical Therapy Association. This event is free and open to the public and we encourage NAMI members to attend. Click here for more information.

Bemidji Area Housing and Community Dialogue Join Minnesota Housing, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and USDA Rural development, and other local stakeholders for an affordable housing discussion. This forum is free, open to the public, and will be held on Thursday October 26th from 10 AM - 4 PM at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. This will be a great opportunity to make your voice heard and learn more about the housing challenges and community needs in Northern Minnesota. The registration deadline is Monday, October 23rd. You can register here.

DHS Listening Sessions The Department of Human Services is holding listening sessions for people receiving as well as providers of services for:  Prevention, treatment , and recovery from addictions and mental illnesses  The deaf and hard of hearing communities, and  Housing They want to know how people can be better served. The tentative Dates and Locations:

 10/10/17, 3 - 5 p.m. Mahnomen High School, Mahnomen

 10/11/17, 3 - 5 p.m. Winona State University, Tau Center, Hilbert St, Winona

 10/25/17, 3 - 5 p.m. Marshall Public Library 201 C Street, Marshall

 11/1/17, 2 - 4 p.m. Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center

 11/8/17, 3 - 5 p.m. Itasca Community College 1851 US-169, Grand Rapids For more information click here.

DHS is also holding meetings on the early intensive intervention benefit for children with autism and related conditions under age 21.The benefit is available through Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. Meetings for parents, providers, potential providers and staff of county, tribal or managed care organizations are set for:  2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, in the Beltrami County Administration Building, 701 Minnesota Ave. NW, Bemidji.

News from the Federal and State Level Open Enrollment in MNsure Begins on November 1st Minnesotan's seeking private health insurance on the individual market can begin enrolling in plans on November First. However, it is very important for those interested in seeking insurance on MNsure to understand their benefits and the cost-saving opportunities that are potentially available to them. Currently, two out of three MNsure enrollees qualify for an advanced premium tax credit, with average savings for a household at over $7,000 a year. Click here to learn more about MNsure open enrollment. You can also learn more about 2018 rates on the individual market here.

MN Making Progress on Opioid Epidemic In response to the dramatic increase in opioid deaths, CHI St. Gabriel's out of Little Falls Minnesota brought together physicians, social workers, and pharmacists, and nurses to form a Controlled Substance Care Team. The sole purpose of this group was to prevent and treat opioid misuse. By focusing on regulating the number of narcotics distributed at the hospital, pain has gone from the number one reason people visited the emergency room to outside of the top 20. Congressman Nolan has recognized the good work being down at St. Gabriel's and invited representatives from the hospital to travel to Washington DC and share their success story. You can learn more about the work being done by CHI St. Gabriel here.

DHS Releases Policy Updates During the 2017 Legislative session, a new NAMI supported policy provision was passed that allowed all youths aged 18-21 to remain on foster care, even if the young adult elected to leave the foster care system at one point. You can learn more about this important benefit expansion here. DHS also reported what benefits will be available for children and young adults on the SELF program, which currently serves anyone ages 14-20 who are currently on a county or tribal social services case-load and have experienced an out of home placement of at least 30 consecutive days before the age of 14. These funds can be used to supplement and not replace tribal or county funds. You can learn more about this program here.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Minnesota Case on Assisted Suicide A group called the Final Exit Network's case on assisted suicide was not heard by the Supreme Court on Monday, effectively upholding the conviction made against these group by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. You can learn more about this case here.

Bipartisan Senate Group Continues to Work on Fixes to Affordable Care Act The bipartisan work group led by Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Patty Murray of Washington continues to make some progress. While it still lacks the support of Republican leadership, the legislation currently being developed is still under development, but there are indications that additional premium subsidies will be available, creation of lean "copper" plans meant to cover only catastrophic health problems, and provide some additional flexibility to the states to structure their markets. While this bipartisan group is not at the center of current debates in Washington, it is encouraging that some Republicans and Democrats are coming together to work on improving the Affordable Care Act. To learn more, click here.

Updates from NAMI Minnesota NAMI Legislative Committee Meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of every month at 6 pm at the NAMI Minnesota office. To be added to the email list contact [email protected].

Here's our speaking schedule for the next few months:  October 10th: Kristin Lofgren on School Linked Mental Health and a discussion with Care Providers of MN on housing concentration

 November 14th: Catherine Wright on Multi-generational grants NAMIWALKS A main source of funding for NAMI Minnesota's legislative work is from the NAMIWalk. If you appreciate NAMI's public policy work - it's not too late to donate to Sue Abderholden's walk team - SueNAMI: Creating a Giant Wave Against Stigma. Go to www.namiwalks/minnesota

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