Advocacy 

Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that directly affect people’s current lives. (Cohen, 2001)

 Click Here for information and photos from 2010 Advocacy Day.
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Williams v. Quinn lawsuit:

In 2005, lawyers from the ACLU of Illinois, Equip for Equality and other organizations filed a class action on behalf of persons with mental illnesses residing in IMD nursing homes claiming that Illinois’ excessive reliance on these facilities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The parties have reached an agreement which is embodied in a Proposed Consent decree.   United States District Court Judge William Hart has given his preliminary approval of this decree.  The matter has now been set for a “Fairness Haring” before Judge Hart on September 7, 2010 at 10:00 am in Courtroom 2243, in the Dirksen Building, 219 South Dearborn, Chicago.  Interested parties were invited to appear and testify.  IPS submitted written comments explaining our concerns regarding the proposed decree.  In sum, IPS wants to make sure the funding and resources are in place before decisions are made to transfer patients from IMDs.  In addition, IPS recommended including psychiatrists in the decision-making process.  IPS will post the results of the Fairness Hearing on this website.

To view IPS’ comments, click here.
To view the Court’s Consent Decree, click here.
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Urgent Breaking News on Medicare Payment and Health Reform -- March 3, 2010

Congress Approves Postponement of Medicare SGR Cut

Late last night, the Senate voted to extend 2009 Medicare physician payment rates through the end of the month. By a vote of 78 to 19, the Senate passed H.R. 4691, the "Temporary Extension Act of 2010," which the House approved on February 25. The bill extends 2009 Medicare physician payment rates through April 1, delaying the 21% cut in payment that was scheduled for March 1. The postponement allows time for Members of Congress to develop a longer-term resolution to the Medicare payment crisis, however proposals being circulated on Capitol Hill involve yet another short-term patch to the Sustainable Growth Rate System (SGR), including proposals to postpone cuts for 90 days, 7 months, or through the end of 2010. The APA joins the American Medical Association and the larger physician community in pressing for permanent repeal of the SGR, rather than continuing to string along physicians and their patients with short-term fixes.

The Senate is currently considering a second jobs bill, H.R. 4213, American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010, which extends Medicare physician payment rates until September 30, 2010. The bill also extends until December 31, 2010 the 5 percent bump mental health providers receive under Medicare. The provision expired at the end of 2009.

Health Reform Update

Today, the President is expected to unveil the broad outline of a second health reform proposal incorporating four areas of agreement with Republican Members of Congress, and removing any "sweetheart" deals designed to buy the support of wavering Members. A press conference at the White House is scheduled for 1:45 pm EST.

The goal for Democratic leadership and the Obama Administration appears to be enacting health reform legislation prior to the Easter recess, four weeks away. The process appears to involve the following: House approval of the Senate-passed health reform bill (H.R. 3590), followed by House and Senate approval of a budget reconciliation bill making changes to the Senate bill to bring it in line with the updated health reform plan. All three of these votes are expected to be heavy lifts, with support unlikely by Republican Members. The President hopes to bring momentum to the process through today's press conference.

In order to pass the Senate bill, the House must agree to Senate language on two lighting-rod issues: immigration and abortion. Neither of these issues can be addressed through the reconciliation process, as they have no direct budgetary impact. Particularly on abortion, the Speaker and Majority Whip, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), are expecting several Members who previously voted "yes" on health reform to switch their votes to "no" due to the Senate's less stringent abortion provisions. Ten Democratic Members in the House that previously voted "no" have indicated the possibility that they may change their votes to "yes", giving some wiggle room for attrition due to the abortion issue.

Due to the threat of a Senate filibuster, a 60-vote majority is needed to pass contentious measures in the Senate. The reconciliation process allows passage of a select set of provisions at a simple majority, or 51 votes. The reconciliation process also may be referred to as a "majority vote" or an "up or down vote." These provisions apply only to the Senate, as the House operates on a simple majority except when rules are waived due to overwhelming support.

As the situation develops, we will keep you informed. Look for a summary of the President's new proposal in the upcoming edition of RushNotes. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me or my staff at advocacy@psych.org.
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Action Alert: Urgent -- Congress Must Vote to Stop Medicare Physician Payment Cuts from Going into Effect March 1

Background
The U.S. Congress must vote before March 1 to stop the pending 21% cut in Medicare's physician payment formula from automatically going into effect. Congress has to approve legislation this week to again delay this devastating reduction caused by the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula.

As you know, APA, AMA, and virtually all of medicine have fought for over a year to find a permanent fix to the SGR problem. In the meantime, it is absolutely crucial for APA members to let Congress know how important it is to you to block these damaging cuts. If you called your Senators and Representative last year, please call them again and renew your concern. If you have not called, please take a moment to join the fight to stop Medicare payments from being cut.

Requested Action
Please call your Senators and Representative to block the cuts to Medicare physician payment scheduled for March 1.

Call Toll Free
Call Senators Richard Durbin and Roland Burris and Representative Danny Davis using APA's toll-free Hotline: 1-866-727-4894. You will be connected to the Capitol Hill Operator. Ask for your Senators and Representative by name. Once you are connected to your Member's office, leave your name and address, along with our suggested message.

SUGGESTED MESSAGE:
"As a psychiatric physician and your constituent I urge you to act this week to block the 21% cut in Medicare physician payment scheduled for March 1, in order to ensure continued access to quality care for our nation's seniors."
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ALERT*** 1/22/2010
IllinoisPsychiatric Society Praises Gov. Quinn for Signing Prison Medicaid Bill

IPS is pleased to announce that after two years of very hard work by IPS members, the Prison Medicaid Bill has been signed into law by Governor Quinn.  This law will help limit recidivism by allowing offenders who relied on Medicaid benefits when they entered prison to have their benefits reinstated immediately upon release.   
Click here for more.
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Click here if you do not know the name or contact information for your Congressperson.
Click here for more information. 
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