This section provides background on the federal budget and appropriations (a.k.a. spending) process and its importance to people with mental disabilities. Below you will find general resources on the matter. For news on federal spending, see our Action Alerts & Bazelon Updates page, The Reporter, and budget and appropriations pages featuring Medicaid, Medicare, and disability, income and nutrition supports.
Policymakers in Washington hold the purse strings to a significant portion of funding for health care, income support, and other vital social service programs critical to individuals with mental disabilities. Thus, as a core part of its work, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law monitors the yearly federal budget and appropriations processes, and advocates to protect crucial programs against funding cuts and drastic restructuring. Such changes would devestate state mental health systems, which now rely more on Medicaid than any other funding source to provide mental health services and supports needed by individuals with mental disabilities.
Resources:
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:
Overview of the Budget Process (7/12/11)
Funding for Mental Health Services and Programs Fact Sheet
Kaiser Family Foundation:
Health Tracking Polls examine the opinions of seniors and the public about Medicare, Medicaid and the federal budget deficit.
Coalition Report:
Commissioned by AARP, The American College of Cardiology, The American Hospital Association, The American Medical Association and LeadingAge, this report highlights the real-world impact across-the-board spending cuts in federal programs could have on vulnerable people, including the elderly, children and low-income families.
Families USA:
House Republicans Propose to Slash Funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Other Health Coverage Programs takes a closer look at how the recent budget proposal would harm seniors, children, and state economies, and includes state-specific numbers.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Balanced Budget Amendment Would Require More Extreme Cuts than Ryan Plan outlines the drastic cuts that would occur as a result of this budget proposal.