Another attempt to further privatize the Michigan Community Mental Health system

This is from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan (CMHAM). From the Website - "The Community Mental Health Association of Michigan (CMHA) is the state association representing the state’s public Community Mental Health (CMH) centers, the public Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHP) public health plans formed and governed by the CMH centers and the providers within the CMH and PIHP provider networks." Michigan CMH agencies serve people with developmental disabilities, as well as individuals with mental illness and other disabilities.

Despite the flaws in the Michigan CMH system, and there are many, I agree with this statement - "This approach is nothing more than a [Medicaid] health plan money grab, these bills will not improve care for Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens, it will eliminate local decision making and only put more money into the pockets of insurance companies – this is BAD public policy." These are the same policies that the legislature, with the help of private Medicaid Health Plans, has been trying to impose on Michigan for at least the last 10 years.

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As you may know, [the CMHAM has been sending out alerts about the proposed legislation for months] the Senate Government Operations Committee has held three hearings on Senator Shirkey’s 2-bill integration package (9/14, 9/21 & 9/28). We believe as soon as Sen. Shirkey has the votes to move these bills in the Senate, he will vote them out of committee.

In recent media interviews, Sen. Shirkey has described his integration proposal as his top priority for his remaining time in the Michigan Senate. Given the fact that he chairs the committee and being Senate Majority Leader, he holds a tremendous amount of power and control over the day to day business in the Michigan Senate, we believe it is very likely these bills will move out of committee in the next couple of weeks.

Senate Bills 597 & 598 much like the 298 process from a couple years ago, would shift the Medicaid financing and managed care functions from the public PIHP system to private Medicaid Health Plans. We once again have significant concerns with this type of proposal and will be launching a series of action alerts to combat this harmful public policy initiative. This action alert will focus on local control & local decision making.

Make no mistake, SBs 597 & 598 eliminate local control and local decision making by the CMH and give it to for-profit insurance companies who are only accountable to non-elected bureaucrats in Lansing via contracts. Additionally, the bills will gut the local CMH system by allowing health plans to contract around CMHs and inserts specialty integrated plan (SIP) language into SB 598 which would allow health plans to remove CMHs from their local safety net role as community convener and collaborator.

REQUEST FOR ACTION: We are asking you to reach out to your legislators (House & Senate) and the Governor and URGE them to reject these bills when they come before them for a vote. We need to get as many Senators to oppose SBs 597 & 598 as possible. This approach is nothing more than a health plan money grab, these bills will not improve care for Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens, it will eliminate local decision making and only put more money into the pockets of insurance companies – this is BAD public policy.

**Please feel free to customize your response as you see fit**

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 THIS EMAIL TO THEM. This will not be the last action alert we send out on this topic, but it is critical that lawmakers hear from us – there has been tremendous turnover in the Michigan Legislature since 2016 (when 298 first appeared) this will be the first time many lawmakers are hearing about this issue.

Thank you in advance for your support and tireless advocacy on this important topic.

 
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