The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) reauthorizes the CHIP program through FY2013 and makes funding determinations for the CHIP programs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The reauthorization also requires CHIP programs to comply with parity provisions in the 2008 Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Substance Use Equity Act. Full text of the legislation is below:

Text of Legislation (PDF)

From the Kaiser Family Foundation:

This issue brief examines coverage of the nearly 9 million "dual eligible" beneficiaries, the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. It explores the national and state impacts of shifting the financing of selected services for dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare, including having the federal government pick up the full cost of Medicare premiums, cost-sharing and gaps in Medicare-covered services and long-term care services for this population.

Full Report: Rethinking Medicaid's Financing Role for Medicare Enrollees

This perspective uses employer health promotion efforts to demonstrate ways that instituting commonsense prevention measures can lead to risk reduction and cost savings and may alter the paradigm through which we view health care costs.

Goetzel, Ron Z. Do Prevention or Treatment Services Save Money? The Wrong Debate (2009). Health Affairs, 28(1), 37-41. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.1.37 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/28/1/37
 

Russell, Louise B. Preventing Chronic Disease: An Important Investment, But Don’t Count On Cost Savings (2009). Health Affairs, 28(1), 42-45. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.1.42 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/28/1/42

A report by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine says that mental health and substance abuse disorders among young adults cost the United States and estimated $247 billion annually. The report estimates that 14 to 20 percent of youth experience behavioral health conditions and suggests that the White House create an entity to coordinate agency initiatives to utilize effective prevention programs.

Full Report: Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities

From Bazelon:

This report presents a summary of federal Medicaid policy as of November 2008 with respect to community mental health services covered under the Clinic, Rehabilitation and Home and Community Based Services (Section 1915(i)) categories of the law. It also presents the results of a review of official state Medicaid policies with respect to these service categories. The report focuses on community-based services and does not discuss institutional services, such as services of hospitals, residential treatment centers for children, group homes or other congregate-care settings.

Full Report:  Following the Rules: A Report on Federal Rules and State Actions to Cover Community Mental Health Services under Medicaid (pdf)