In a letter on February 15, 2011 to Darin Gordon Director of the Bureau of TennCare Anthony Fox, Executive Director of Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association (TMHCA), asked TennCare to withdraw their intent to file Amendment 12 to TennCare II Demonstration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The appeal is in support of Tennessee’s many people with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) who will be adversely affected by these changes.
TMHCA urged that the Bureau of TennCare withdraw the new amendment for the following reasons:
1. Implementation of an annual limit of $10,000 per person for inpatient hospital services, including inpatient psychiatric hospital services will prevent a person with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) from seeking treatment because of economic limits and constraints.
2. Implementation of an annual limit of 8 non-emergency visits to outpatient hospitals, per person annually, will eliminate recovery opportunities for people with mental illness.
3. Implementation of an annual limit on health care professional office visits of 8 per person is inadequate in that it diminishes an individual’s ability to maintain physical and emotional self-care and will lead to increased medical and behavioral health costs.
4. Implementation of the $2 non-emergency transportation co pay ($4 daily) on transportation will gravely compromise adequate medical care and mental health recovery.
TMHCA told Mr. Gordon that the proposed cuts in TennCare will limit care for some of our state’s neediest citizens and without treatment, mental illness too often results in tragedies such as family breakups, school failure, job loss, homelessness, and suicide. TMHCA also stated that staff is willing to discuss these recommendations with the Bureau to ensure adults with mental illness have the opportunity and available resources to become and remain self-sufficient and that it is vital that these services and this support system remain readily available and accessible.
