Pennsylvania House Approves Spending Cap on Residential Mental Health Treatment

The Pennsylvania House on April 24 approved a $20.8 billion spending plan that includes an amendment that would that cap spending on mental health patients in state-funded residential treatment programs at $138,000 per patient per year, the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal reports. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D) after he became "concerned" that the Department Of Public Welfare had paid $543,000 per year to care for a single patient in a residential treatment home. Caltagirone arrived at the $138,000 cap by taking the average spent by the welfare department on each patient per year. He said the amendment could save the state $10 million annually. However, Susan Aspey, the agency's deputy press secretary, said the measure would "bind [the department's] hands" and actually increase costs, because more patients would have to be treated in state hospitals, which cost more than residential facilities. The department has requested a $16.3 million budget for next year, an increase of $600,000 from this year. The amendment, which passed 199-0, now moves to the state Senate (Caldwell, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, 4/26).