A tutti i soci SINPIA
Si invia di seguito comunicazione della
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Cordiali saluti
La Segreteria SINPIA

H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Sunday night’s historic passage of healthcare reform legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), has been viewed as the most important healthcare legislation since the creation of the Medicare program.

AACAP’s advocacy efforts have been partially responsible for many of the provisions adopted in this landmark legislation affecting our membership and our patients. Some of these provisions are:

1. Mental health and substance abuse coverage for all children and adolescents including:
• coverage for early intervention and prevention treatment,
• a ban on pre-existing condition exclusions, and
• the elimination of lifetime coverage limits.

2. Improved coordination and integration between mental health and primary care by:
• providing grants for co-location of primary and behavioral health care services;
• increasing funding for community mental health centers.

3. Strengthening the child and adolescent psychiatry Workforce by:
• creating a new loan repayment program of up to $35,000 per year for child and adolescent psychiatric residents who agree to work in underserved areas after graduation;
• offering grants to graduate schools to help develop and expand child and adolescent mental health programs;
• extending the 5% bump in payment rate for psychiatric services through the end of 2010;
• providing grants to establish depression centers of excellence.

While this bill is not perfect and it does not include everything child psychiatrists and patient groups demand, it is a step forward to providing mental health coverage to millions of children and adolescents.

Our Government Affairs Department, under the guidance of Kristin Kroeger, will continue to fight to clarify the intent of the language in the regulatory process and work with Congress to implement additional legislation. She will lead our collaborative efforts with other professional medical associations and with our partners in allied mental health consumer organizations to improve the delivery of healthcare for our child and adolescent patients and their parents.

For more specifics about the bill, click here
Our staff will inform you via email of any language changes from the budget reconciliation bill vote expected to take place in the Senate later this week.

I want to personally thank all AACAP members for your continued Advocacy. A special thank you to Kristin Kroeger and her brilliant staff, as well as to our member leaders in advancing our efforts to grow our child and adolescent psychiatry workforce, including Greg Fritz, M.D., Wun Jung Kim, M.D., Tom Anders, M.D., and Jess Shatkin, M.D.

I now invite you to share your thoughts with me about this landmark healthcare legislation. Please contact me at lgreenhill@aacap.org.

Sincerely,

Laurence L. Greenhill, M.D
President