States Prepare for the Newly Insured: A Conversation about Mental Health and Substance Abuse Needs
Of the 22 million uninsured expected to gain coverage under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, more than 4 million projected to take-up coverage will have mental health or substance use disorders. On this webinar, after a brief overview of new data made available by SAMHSA, state and local officials and other experts will talk about how states are preparing to ensure service access for these individuals newly covered through Medicaid and Health Insurance Exchanges. The panelists will answer questions about how this data will help to inform state decisions on issues like:
- The mix of benefits and services that enrollees may need;
- Ensuring workforce and provider capacity;
- Readying managed care plans in Medicaid and/or the qualified health plans on the exchange for the service needs of enrollees;
- Supporting eligibility and enrollment s for populations that may be hard to reach;
- The financial impact on state and local programs.
Speakers include:
Neva Kaye, Managing Director, National Academy for State Health Policy
Suzanne Fields, Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Health Financing, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Tami Mark, Senior Director, Truven Health Analytics
Jane Beyer, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Disability Services, Behavioral Health and Service Integration Administration, Washington
John Easterday, Former Administrator for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Wisconsin
Brian Hepburn, Executive Director, Mental Hygiene Administration, Maryland
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
