Heard in the Halls April 2009 #2

NAMI North Carolina's Heard in the Halls Make your Voices Heard..Public Hearing on NC Budget Tuesday April 28 2009..Protect Free Access/Choice on Medications April 2009 Quick Links NAMI NC NAMI National North Carolina General Assembly Welcome back to NAMI NC Heard in the Halls. I hope to bring you direct information on what is happening in the general assembly regarding issues that touch you and your family members. Deby Dihoff Executive Director National Alliance on Mental Illness NC Action Alert - public hearing tomorrow April 28, 2009 The Appropriations Committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 28, to receive comments about the state budget. The hearing will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the auditorium of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh on Fayetteville Street. Check this link for more information: http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2009/budget/2009/BudgetPublicHearing.html Ten community colleges across the state will host interactive broadcasts of the hearing and it will also be streamed live on the Internet. Committee members would like to invite members of the public to offer suggestions and comments about the budget. Each speaker will have three minutes to share information. Information about how to submit written comments and how to access the online broadcast will also be available at the site. The community colleges that will serve as host sites are: Johnston Community College, Smithfield Bladen Community College, Dublin Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem Pamlico Community College, Grantsboro Southwestern Community College, Sylva Surry Community College, Dobson Vance-Granville Community College, Henderson Martin Community College, Williamston Visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/colleges_map.aspx for contact information and driving directions to each campus. WHO: Appropriations Committee of NC House of Representatives WHAT: State budget public hearing WHERE: NC Museum of History and 10 community colleges WHEN: 6-9 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Now is the time - do NOT delay- call your legislator and tell them what you think of some of the recommendations contained within the budget. Here are some suggested talking points for you to use. Please CALL or email your legislator- go to the web site link above for quick access to numbers and emails and names! It is already in the Governor's Budget, and in the Senate Budget. It is time to fight this with your members of the House. Restore the protections for choice and access to medications in the budget. Do not require prior authorization for medications for schizophrenia and bipolar The Kaiser Commission recommends against this; providers may end up spending twice the time they actually spend with patients on paperwork A study in Maine found that adherence issues resulted when prior authorization was used; resulting ultimately in cost shifts to ERs and increased visits to the doctor Instead, let's use generics where they exist and are effective Let's expand the use of behavioral pharmacy management quality indicators that support the use of evidence based practices Let's expand peer consultation after mailings to doctors who prescribe outside of best practice guidelines Let's provide financial incentives to reward patients who receive appropriate care resulting in good outcomes, not by volume of prior authorizations Let's involve the users in policy decisions- add families and consumers to the state medicaid pharma committees Let the doctor make the best decision medically based on individual circumstances Deby Dihoff, MA, Executive Director Balancing the Budget- it will take more than cuts Did you know that North Carolina's tax code last received an overhaul at the time of the Depression? Well, it's that time again. And let's make it fair and sufficient to maintain the great services and infrastructure that makes this state such a great place to call home. At this time of crisis, it is essential that lawmakers do all within their power to preserve key public services - especially those that are of direct benefit to people in need and that help rebuild our economy. We simply can't balance the budget with service cuts alone -- The huge state budget shortfall makes some painful service cuts inevitable. It is critical that the House follow the lead of the Governor and the Senate and raise some new revenues to help plug the shortfall. Spending is not our problem. - "The reality is that spending per person is actually down from nine years. This is a fiscally conservative state, and we don't go on spending sprees. Taxes on the wealthy are better than cuts to essential services - When it comes to stimulating the economy (and preserving economic activity) during a recession, economists confirm that while new taxes should be used sparingly, they are better than cuts to essential services. These economists also confirm that to the extent that new taxes are a part of the equation, they should target those with the greatest ability to payl Avoid quick fixes that only postpone the pain - To the extent lawmakers make new revenues a part of the solution, it is important to make them progressive revenues that will grow with the economy as it recovers. Simply relying upon regressive sources that tend to shrink over time (like tobacco and alcohol taxes) will just put us back in the same place in a couple of years. Build on the Senate's recent action - The Senate has done a good job of jumpstarting a long overdue discussion over North Carolina's tax system. Its basic approach - broadening the base and lowering rates - makes good sense. The House should build on the Senate's proposal by closing corporate loopholes and improving the progressivity of the personal income tax. The proposed revenue plan of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center ought to be the model.