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State Elections
The Governor’s Race and the Assembly Majority
Democrat Jon Corzine was elected Governor of New Jersey on Tuesday,
November 8, 2005, defeating Republican Doug Forrester by a decisive
10-point margin, 53%-43%.
In the Assembly, the Democrats ended up with 48 seats (of a possible
80), maintaining their powerbase in that house. With both the Senate
and the Assembly controlled by Democrats, as well as the Governor’s
office, MHANJ anticipates that the trend will continue through 2006
of legislative activity being dominated by Democratic bills and
initiatives.
Corzine carried 13 of the state's 21 counties; Forrester won in Cape
May, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Sussex and
Warren. The Democrat carried Essex County by 80,000 votes, Hudson by
42,000, Camden by 30,00 and Middlesex by 29,000.
In the coming weeks, we’ll keep you informed about Governor-Elect
Corzine’s plans to build his transition team and to appoint his
cabinet.
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Information
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Medicare “Part D”
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have begun
mailing letters to all Medicare beneficiaries letting them know that
Medicare, the federal health insurance program instituted in the
1960s, is adding a “Part D” to cover prescription drugs. The
program was added by virtue of the Medicare Modernization Act of
2003 and will take effect on Sunday, January 1, 2006. Medicare
beneficiaries can begin enrolling in Medicare Part D as of November
15, 2005 and have until May 15, 2006 to do so without incurring
penalties.
Of particular concern to MHANJ, and our partners on the NJ Dual
Eligibles Coalition, are the 140,000 people who are eligible for
both Medicare and Medicaid. Up until now, prescription drug costs
for these consumers, known as “dual eligibles,” have been covered by
our state Medicaid program, but come January, these costs will be
covered by Medicare. MHANJ has been working in coalition to ensure
that restrictive formularies and co-pays under Medicare will not
create obstacles to drug treatment for this very vulnerable
population.
In June of this year, we were successful in convincing our state
legislature to fund a $20 million “wraparound” for the dual-eligibles,
and since that time, we’ve continued to work with Medicaid to
determine the best ways to use those funds. To date, New Jersey is
one of only a few states that has made a commitment to the dual
eligibles by agreeing to have its Medicaid program continue to cover
all co-pays and the costs of uncovered drugs.
In addition, we’ve worked closely with our National MHA in
successfully convincing the federal government that dual eligibles
MUST be automatically enrolled in the Part D benefit to prevent a
situation where a person inadvertently neglects to enroll and ends
up without prescription drug coverage. All of New Jersey’s dual
eligibles will be “auto-enrolled” into Part D prescription drugs
plans (PDPs) by November 15, 2005. By that date, they will receive
a letter from their plan letting them know they’ve been enrolled.
The letter will also tell them how to find out what drugs are
covered on their formulary, which pharmacies are included in their
network and what the plan will do in case of an emergency where a
person can’t get their drug for any reason.
Once dual eligibles receive these letters, they can switch plans
whenever they need to in order to find a plan that covers most of
their drugs and includes the pharmacies they go to most. To get
help with these decisions, dual eligibles should call 1-800-MEDICARE
to talk with one of thousands of representatives who have been
trained to handle calls on Part D. In addition, through advocacy,
NJ Medicaid has been given the authority to help people determine
which plan is best for them; their Hotline number is 1-800-356-1561.
Unfortunately, on the federal level, disability advocates have met
with much less success in convincing CMS or the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide
financial resources that would allow us to do the necessary outreach
to the dual eligibles to prepare them for this monumental change in
insurance coverage.
As a result, MHANJ and other disability advocacy groups are taking
necessary steps to communicate with the dual-eligibles:
· In-person
Trainings
MHANJ has hosted in-person trainings in all three regions and is
currently taking requests for follow-up training. Since
October, requests have tripled, as consumers, family members and
providers begin to understand the scope of the program and the
impact on consumers. We’re also working with other groups and with
the Division of Mental Health Services (DMHS) to ensure that
advocates and consumers are able to attend at least one training
that prepares them for the months ahead. To schedule training on
Part D for consumers, contact Debbie Kinney-Chen at MHANJ’s
headquarters: 973-571-4100.
·
Website Coverage at www.mhanj.org
Check our website to get information about Medicare Part D and link
to the most important and accurate sources of
information, such as the CMS website and the website of the National
Mental Health Association. Keep in mind that
information published by national sources will not necessarily cover
the specific information about New Jersey’s wraparound of $20
million because most states did not make this investment. To get
information specific to New Jersey, go to MHANJ’s website at
www.mhanj.org.
·
NJ Mental Health Cares
As part of the Governor’s Mental Health Task Force’s recommendations
last June, our legislature funded a statewide helpline that is
available to help get people on the right track regarding Medicare
Part D. The NJ Mental Health Cares Helpline is available from 8:00
am to 8:00 pm and can be reached by dialing 1-866-202-4357.
Ongoing
Advocacy
MHANJ
has expressed its serious concerns to all federal and state agencies
and officials that the Medicare Part D plans —and the processes
through which a dual eligible becomes covered by one — are likely to
be too complicated for most people who fall into that category.
These citizens are the very poorest in our population and often
suffer from multiple health problems. All of our work regarding
Medicare Part D, which will no doubt benefit healthy Americans, has
been aimed at helping these officials understand the reality of
recovering from mental illness in our communities.
Please keep us informed of your experiences with Medicare Part D,
particularly situations where a consumer’s access to medications has
been hampered. With this information, we will continue to carry
your voice to Trenton and Washington to be sure that President Bush,
Congress and CMS make accommodations that mean that the Medicare
Part D benefit ends up truly benefiting New Jersey’s most vulnerable
citizens.
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Federal Medicaid
For several years, the National Mental Health Association has been
opposing efforts to “reform” federal Medicaid that would effectively
mean severe cuts to this important program. MHANJ has aggressively
advocated in opposition, as well, by educating our Congressmen about
New Jersey’s dependence on Medicaid:
· Like
most states, New Jersey’s Medicaid program funds the majority of
mental health treatment in our public system.
· Also
like most states, our Medicaid costs have been rising steadily and
dramatically.
· Many
of New Jersey’s innovative programs for mental health consumers,
such as Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) and
Intensive Case Management Services (ICMS), are matched 50% by the
federal government for every state Medicaid dollar we spend. Cuts
to Medicaid will mean cuts to these programs.
· If
the proposed cuts to Medicaid occur, New Jersey will see a cut of
$247 million over the next five years.
· If
the proposed cuts to Medicaid occur, for just the year 2007 alone,
New Jersey will be forced to deny coverage to:
Þ 23,900
children,
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Þ 4,200
seniors,
Þ 3,000
people with disabilities, such as mental illness.
Despite strong opposition from mental health advocates nationwide,
earlier this month, Senate and House Committees approved
legislation to cut Medicaid spending, with the House measure, in
particular, posing multiple threats to people with mental health
needs.
The House and Senate bills differ significantly. The House measure,
which proposes far deeper Medicaid cuts, would allow states not only
to charge premiums and increase cost-sharing for Medicaid
beneficiaries but also to reduce their benefits.
While the Senate bill does not take such drastic steps, it does
include a multi-state demonstration project to temporarily lift the
ban on Medicaid reimbursement for private inpatient psychiatric
facilities for individuals between the ages of 21 and 64 years.
Both bills would significantly reduce Medicaid funding for targeted
case management, such as PACT and ICMS.
As
of this writing, both houses are expected to vote on their versions
before the end of November. Once both chambers have adopted their
respective bills, the competing House and Senate bills will have to
be reconciled into a final package that could very well include all
the harmful provisions from each separate bill as well, including
the cuts to targeted case management.
Need for Grassroots Advocacy:
Contact Senators Corzine and Lautenberg and reiterate the points
shown above. Urge both senators to oppose increased cost-sharing,
premiums or benefit reductions for Medicaid beneficiaries in the
Senate’s budget reconciliation bill. Make sure they oppose the
proposed reduction in funding for targeted case management.
Finally, ask them to oppose the inpatient psychiatric
facility demonstration project that will likely cause unnecessary
hospitalizations. For contact information, visit
www.corzine.senate.gov
or
www.lautenberg.senate.gov.
Contact your representative in the House, as well. Be sure he knows
the facts about New Jersey and urge him to oppose the House budget
reconciliation bill because it would irreparably harm Medicaid
beneficiaries who will be forced to forego needed treatments. If
you don’t know who represents you, visit
www.mhanj.org and click on “Who
Represents You?” This link will also offer contact information for
your representative in Washington.
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At our annual meeting on Thursday, October 6, 2005, MHANJ honored
two members of the state Assembly for their work on
legislation that would benefit people with mental illness.
Assemblyman Robert Gordon (D-38)
sponsored Assembly bill A4143, legislation that establishes a
Special Needs Housing Trust Fund through which New Jersey will build
10,000 new housing opportunities for people with mental illness in
the next 10 years.
The most significant obstacle to recovery is a lack of safe,
affordable housing in which to recover and rebuild a life. We’re
happy to know that Assemblyman Gordon hears that message, as well.
Assemblyman Frank Blee (R-2)
also puts the needs of vulnerable citizens first and gets involved
at the grassroots level to understand difficult issues firsthand.
Most recently, Assemblyman Blee has tackled the issues of people
with mental illness who have been incarcerated in our jails. His
bill, A3867, would establish three county-level advocacy pilot
programs in the state for mentally ill offenders. The programs
would serve as liaisons between the criminal justice and human
services systems, to reduce the criminalization of people with
mental illness and increase their access to community-based and
appropriate services. Earlier this year, the Assemblyman’s proposal
was one of the primary recommendations of the Governor’s Mental
Health Task Force, as a way to realistically begin to tackle the
serious issue of the criminalization of people with mental illness.
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