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NAMI Oregon Releases Health Transformation Guide

Many Oregonians may still be puzzled by the term "health transformation," but the changes forthcoming in Oregon's Medicaid system could vastly improve health care in our state or just be another shot in the dark that fails to hit its intended target. NAMI Oregon has long advocated for an integrated health care system that focuses on individual and family health. To that end, NAMI Oregon is pleased to issue its "Policy Guide to Health Transformation and Integration in Oregon" that collects all of NAMI's various positions on health care transformation into one document. This will serve as our guiding vision for our advocacy on health care reform.

US DOJ Settlement with Oregon

The State of Oregon and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached an agreement pertaining to the federal government’s investigation over how Oregon treats individuals with mental illness.  The crux of the investigation looked at whether Oregon was needlessly institutionalizing individuals in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Read a press release announcing the agreement and a letter outlining the agreement.

Public Policy Update

April 4, 2013
Chris Bouneff, executive director

NAMI Housing Bill Advances
NAMI Oregon’s proposal to create a special housing-development incentive fund won unanimous approval before the House Human Services and Housing Committee early last week. The legislation, House Bill 3332, now moves to the Joint Ways and Means Committee, where it will be assigned a subcommittee.

Thank you to NAMI members and allies who contacted Human Services and Housing Committee members, as well as to those who testified and submitted written support for our legislation.  Special thanks to NAMI members Ken Milner and Clarissa McGee from Washington County for sharing their personal stories about the importance that housing plays in mental health treatment and recovery.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to committee members and to committee Chair Rep. Carolyn Tomei, who passionately urged her colleagues to support HB 3332.

You can read a summary of the legislation at: http://goo.gl/l61Ga. You can also read the testimony NAMI Oregon submitted at: http://goo.gl/m2N0e.

Medication Access Preserved
It appears that access to critical mental health medications will be preserved under proposed changes to House Bill 2090. The legislation renews the preferred drug list for medical conditions covered under the Oregon Health Plan. However, as originally drafted, the bill would have also created a generics-first/fail-first policy for mental health medications.

NAMI Oregon has long opposed legislation that would require patients who are prescribed mental health medications to gain prior authorization from the Oregon Health Plan or Coordinated Care Organizations before obtaining a prescription. Currently, critical mental health medications such as atypical antipsychotics are exempt from OHP’s “enforceable” preferred drug list (PDL).

If access to antipsychotics is limited, patients can be denied their medication by the pharmacy if their medication isn’t on the “approved” list. This leads to unacceptable delays in access to prescriptions. A summary of our position may be found here: http://goo.gl/nSmyg.

Other Bills of Note
There are several other bills that NAMI Oregon is following:

• SB 506 would severely restrict the development of any newly constructed secure residential treatment centers. NAMI Oregon is opposed.
• SB 823 is Senate President Peter Courtney’s proposal to fully fund the children’s mental health system and add significant funding to Oregon’s adult mental health system.
• HB 2594 would change Oregon’s commitment laws. The legislation appears to be undergoing significant revision. NAMI is watching developments and may weigh in eventually.
• HB 3246 and HB 3247 appear to create new burdensome regulations on the operation of independent housing for individuals living with mental illness. NAMI Oregon will likely take a position on these bills.

To find contact information for your state legislators, visit the Oregon State Legislature's Find your legislator web page.

Please see previous Public Policy Updates below.

Previous Public Policy Updates

• March 2013
• February 2013
• October 2012
• August 2012
• May 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011

Stay involved with us – sign up for our e-news and legislative alerts, and click the links below to view minutes from Public Policy Committee meetings.

Tell us your story – if you have a personal story that illustrates the need for changes in statewide mental health policy and you would like to become an advocate for policy improvement, complete our Advocate Information Form and return it to us today.

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