Health care legislation that is a priority for AFSCME is beginning to advance in Congress, thanks in part to pressure from members.
Last week, the health subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on several critical health care bills facing funding shortfalls, including the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act.
This legislation, a priority for AFSCME’s United We Heal campaign, is facing two funding deadlines in the coming months.
The first, for a short-term infusion of cash, comes at the end of this month. If Congress misses it, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in Oregon, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania will run out of money.
The second deadline is on Sept. 30. Congress must pass a two-year funding measure before the next fiscal year starts Oct. 1 for CCBHCs to be adequately funded for the coming year.