Community Mental Health Association of Michigan Call to Action

As you may know, the FY19 budget process is moving very fast, legislators are
hoping to wrap up their work on next year's budget by the end of the month. In
the Senate passed FY19 DHHS budget, language resurfaced that would allow the
Medicaid health plans in the pilot regions to contract with any vendor they
choose and work around the CMHs in those regions.

Senate Bill - Section 298 (2)( e):

(e) That selected Medicaid health plans be allowed to contract directly with a
service provider in an effort to achieve the contract requirements with this
state for managing the physical and behavioral health of Medicaid eligible
individuals within the pilot region. The pilots described in this subsection
shall not in any way mandate an exclusive arrangement between contracted
Medicaid health plans and CMHSPs. Any NCQA function presently maintained by a
contracted Medicaid health plans shall remain the responsibility of the health
plan for the purposes of this pilot regardless of their contractual
arrangements with any CMHSP, and contracts between this state and the PIHPs
s'hall be amended to allow for relief of CMHSPs from existing contractual
requirements as necessary.

We believe this approach would eventually destroy the local safety net by allowing
private health plans to contract with vendors that do not have the same legal
& moral responsibility of the CMHs in those communities. Similar language
was proposed in last year's budget, however, we were successful in getting it
removed.

REQUEST FOR URGENT ACTION: We are asking that you contact your Senate & House
member(s) expressing your concerns related to this new language and ask that it
NOT be included in the final version of the bill. Timing is critical, we
believe legislators will be making final budget decisions in the next 2-3 days.

Please contact your Senate & House member (s) between now and Friday, June 8.

We also need you to ask that the members of your Board of Directors, your staff,
and your community partners make those same contacts - SIMPLY FORWARD THEM THE
ACTION ALERT. These contacts are critical, legislators must hear from us in
order to counter the efforts by others opposed to the public management of the
state's publicly sponsored behavioral health and intellectual/developmental
disability services and supports system.

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https://www.macmhb.org/public-...