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Maryland Legislative Update -
March 2005
Annapolis has been quite lively this winter, as Governor Ehrlich called for a
special session of the General Assembly to resolve the crisis of escalating
medical malpractice rates, only to veto the reform compromise, and then to have
that veto overturned.
The legislature’s bill (which Ehrlich said represented an “inadequate and
incomplete solution” to the problem) freezes the existing cap on damages for
pain and suffering, mandates pre-trial mediation and reduces the cap on wrongful
death case awards. In addition, it establishes a 2 percent tax on HMO premiums,
thus creating a fund to subsidize insurance premiums for doctors (limiting
increases in premiums paid by most Maryland doctors to 5 percent this year
instead of the scheduled 33 percent) and increase reimbursements they receive
under Medicaid.
Don’t social workers want and deserve a Medicaid reimbursement increase as well?
Does the increase for doctors open a tiny door for arguing for a social worker
increase? With questions like these, lobbyist Alice Neily heightens the
political savvy and framework for advocacy of the GWSCSW, Maryland SCSW, and
NASW-Metro DC representatives at the meetings of the Maryland Legislative
Council of Social Work Organizations.
Reviewing bills and taking action
Now that the 2005 Assembly is in session (January 12 to April 11), the Council is meeting every two weeks to review every Senate and House bill that might affect social work scope of practice, the economic well being of social workers, and public access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. Such bills are considered “Tier I” in importance to the Council, and for them, plans are made for immediate calls and meetings with legislators, drafting of letters, and alerting membership via the listserve or phone calls when grassroots action is needed. An example of Tier I would be the Governor’s proposed reallocation of the social work licensing fee surplus, discussed in this newsletter (see page 1).
“Tier II” concerns are the broader issues such as expanding insurance to provide health care coverage for all. Such issues matter, but given limited resources, the Council lends its name and the weight of all our social worker constituents to ongoing efforts by others. Often we become active in a coalition: a perfect example would be the successful efforts to have the legislature override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 819, a bill protecting Maryland’s most vulnerable mental health population from being forced into a managed care system for their mental health treatment.
“Tier III” bills are those that the Council monitors without taking action. If a change takes place that warrants action, such a bill would then be bounced up to Tier II or Tier I.
A step-by-step description of the legislative process can be found on Alice’s website at http://www.capitalconsultantsofmd.com. Any member who would like to learn more, to attend a meeting of the Council, or to become an alternate representative should contact Carol Santucci, Legislative Liaison, at casantucci@aol.com.
Task Force on access to mental health services
The report of the Task Force to Study Access to Mental Health Services established by the legislature in 2003 has made its recommendations regarding the mental health parity law, barriers and access to care for commercially insured individuals, differences in coverage between the public mental health system and commercial coverage, the structure and effectiveness of the State’s mental health delivery system, and the cost of any recommended changes.
The Chair of the Task Force, Dr. David Helsel, identified the following as top priorities:
Increased education for providers, consumers, and payers,
Provider panels to meet needs of subcultures,
Increased awareness of appeals process,
Increased use of psychological testing, and
An insurance product for “gray zone” consumers.