A2: Magellan Health Services can supply information concerning the mental health and substance abuse benefit structure and details concerning available providers for this type care. You should refer to the Magellan Health Services printed materials, or call them at 1 (800) 308-4934 or visit MagellanHealth.com.

Lubrizol has contracted with a new mental health provider. If you are enrolled in the Lubrizol PPO (or Out-of-Area option), you must call Behavioral Health Systems (BHS), and use their providers in order to receive any benefit. No, all mental health and substance abuse care must be precertified through Behavioral Health Systems (BHS).

We have encouraged health plans to manage mental health and substance abuse care in order to expand your coverage cost effectively while maintaining quality service. The goal of managing care is to only authorize appropriate and cost-effective treatment. This process can include directing you to a specific provider, requiring you to get prior authorization from the plan for non-emergency services, and requiring you to follow a treatment regime authorized by the plan.

Parity in the FEHB Program means that benefits coverage for plan mental health, substance abuse, medical, surgical, and hospital providers will have the same limitations and cost-sharing such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. Historically, health plans have applied higher patient cost-sharing and shorter day and visit limits to mental health and substance abuse services than they did to services for physical illness, injury, or disease.

If stress, or interpersonal or job-related tension, is interfering with your daily life or if a medical condition is causing you mental anguish, you may want to seek mental health care. If habitual use of legal or illegal substances is negatively affecting your health and/or your daily life, you should seek treatment for substance abuse. In either circumstance, you should seek care as soon as possible, before you feel that you can no longer cope with the situation.

Yes. HUSKY members can receive these services by contacting the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership toll free at 1-877-552-8247; TTY/TDD 1-866-218-0525. They also have a website at www.ctbhp.com . Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership will coordinate benefits and refer members to service providers.

They are the people you work with, your friends, teachers and parents. They are people just like you. People with mental health or substance abuse problems may be unfairly seen as weak or able to "snap out of it." But they really have a medical problem that they need help to get over or control. There is not need to suffer. Proper medical care or treatment can help people overcome mental health and substance abuse problems.

When patients use plan providers and follow a treatment regime approved by their plan, all diagnostic categories of mental health and substance abuse conditions listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV) will be covered. We believe that to actually end discriminatory treatment of coverage for mental illness, we must provide coverage for all diagnoses of mental illness.

If you think you need mental health or substance abuse services, you do not need to get a referral or see your primary care physician. Contact the Care Choices HMO Managed Behavioral Health Organization , for your area, if you need these services. The toll free number for this office is listed on the front of your Care Choices Member ID card under "Mental Health and Substance Abuse". This number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mental health/substance abuse utilization management and case management services will be administered through ValueOptions, not Magellan Behavioral Health as with standard Blue Options PPO plan types. Note: Although ValueOptions will be the mental health care management vendor for both State CMM and NC SmartChoice PPO members, the PPO plan benefits will differ from the CMM plan benefits.

Our website has a comprehensive listing of resources for teens. Click here to view "Teen Resources for Marquette County." You can also visit www.upprevent.org and click on "Treatment Providers". The UPPrevent website also has all kinds of information on substance abuse prevention.

Answer: Yes, alcohol, drug and mental health services are available for person with both an alcohol and other drug problem and mental illness, sometimes referred to as dually diagnosed. The following providers specialize in dual diagnosis treatment: for the Santa Barbara region contact Sanctuary Psychiatric at (805) 569-2785 and Phoenix House at (805) 965-3434. You may also call our departments' Mental Health Access Line at 1-888-868-1649.

Refer to your Summary Plan Description (SPD) and follow the procedure as you would to access any other health care benefits.

There are aspects of our program designed to deal specifically with these problems. All that is required for any person to get the help they need is to be candid with the staff during initial conversations.

Mental health and substance abuse benefits usually are separate benefits. The primary diagnosis submitted on the claim determines which benefit is used.

Yes. As long as benefits for the condition are otherwise covered under the terms of the plan, a preexisting condition exclusion period may generally not last longer than 12 months. Because you have been covered by your current plan for at least 12 months without a 63-day break in coverage, your employer will no longer be able to impose the preexisting condition exclusion period when HIPAA becomes effective for your plan.

No! Although most treatment providers prefer family involvement Michigan Law allows for adolescents to seek substance abuse treatment without the permission of either parent. There are special funds for the treatment of adolescent alcohol and drug problems. There is no cost to the adolescent.

The law requires you to complete a SATOP for reinstatement if your driving privilege was taken away for:

The United States General Accounting Office estimates that $1 out of every $7 spent on Medicare is paid inappropriately due to error, fraud, or abuse. In 1999 alone, Medicare lost nearly $13 billion to improper claims. This problem affects all Americans. It affects those who depend on Medicare and Medicaid by diminishing the quality of the treatment they receive. It affects caregivers by decreasing the funding available for important programs.

The first step to take is to visit one of the certified Community Mental Health Centers. They will be able to refer you to any of the approved facilities. Any hospital admission must be precertified by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. Click here for a list of Certified Community Mental Health Centers or look in the back of your benefit booklet.

soon as the clinician begins to treat the substance abuse issue, a TDS form must be complete. If the clinician is treating only the MH/MR issue, then no TDS form is required.

Yes. HWD enrollees may receive mental health services, if they meet medical necessity requirements for such treatment. HWD enrollees may receive substance abuse treatment services, if they meet requirements set by the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA). HWD enrollees obtain mental health and substance abuse treatment services through the same systems as other Medicaid recipients.

Even though many teens try alcohol or drugs, using these substances is neither safe nor legal. Some teens experiment with drugs or alcohol only a few times, but experimentation can become substance abuse and lead to serious problems, such as poor school performance, loss of friends, problems at home, and even lasting legal consequences.

Substance abuse can increase risk-taking behaviors, which can have serious consequences. Alcohol and drug abuse is a leading cause of teen death or injury related to car accidents, suicides, violence, and drowning. Substance abuse can increase the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), resulting from unprotected sexual activity.

If your teen is using alcohol or drugs, you may notice changes in behavior and mood at home, in grades and attitude toward school, and in friends and leisure activities. You may also find evidence such as cigarettes or drugs in your teen's possession, chemical-soaked rags or papers in the trash, or paint or other stains on his or her clothing, hands, or face. The smell of smoke or alcohol on your teen's clothing or breath may indicate a substance abuse problem.

Teen substance abuse may be prevented through strong family connections, healthy friendships, and supportive schools and communities. Social support can help build the confidence to resist peer pressure to try drugs. Good communication and a healthy home life may prevent your teen from self-medicating with harmful and often illegal substances.