Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Rounds Up Mental Health News From Hawaii, Iowa
The following is a summary of recent mental health news in Hawaii and Iowa:
- Hawaii: An audit of the state's Adult Mental Health Division released Feb. 19 criticized the agency for spending millions of dollars "without ensuring the maximum purchasing value of public funds" and "fostering a quid pro quo environment in which personal gain seems to precede the state's interest," the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports. The audit, performed by state Auditor Marion Higa, reviewed 20% of the department's provider contracts that were open between 1999 and 2001 and discovered that "significant modifications changed the contracts' scopes and circumvented the open competition and fairness principles of the procurement code." The report recommends that the department pre-authorize all mental health services and the governor require state Health Director Bruce Anderson "to review and justify all personal service contracts with former employees that give the appearance of cronyism, conflict of interest and favorable treatment." But Anderson said the problems outlined in the audit are two-years-old and "already have been corrected or are being addressed." He added that "strong words," such as "favoritism," "thievery" and "bribery," should not have been used in the report (Altonn, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/20).
- Iowa: A bill that would require insurance policies to cover treatment of neurobiological and anxiety disorders was approved 11-4 Feb. 21 by the state Senate Commerce Committee, the Des Moines Register reports. State Sen. Mary Lundby (R), the bill's sponsor, said the legislation is "a good initial attempt by Iowa to require insurers to cover mental health problems just as they cover physical conditions." Opponents have said that the bill would increase consumer medical costs. But Lundby countered that the legislation, which would require a study of its financial impact, is "a balancing act between the issue of fairness and the issue of costs." The Register reports that the bill "faces an uncertain future" as it moves to the state Senate floor (Siebert, Des Moines Register, 2/22).
