NACo news briefs AAC


F A M I L Y A N D F R I E N D S » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » Continued From Page 47 <<<


treatment or counseling in the past 12 months. Te survey also found that of the 23.1 million people 12 years of age and older who needed treatment for substance use, 20.6 million did not receive treatment at a specialty facility (i.e., hospital inpatient, drug or alcohol rehabilitation or mental health centers). While there are no current estimates of the costs to employers, previous research indicated mental illnesses and substance use disorders cost employers 217 million days of work loss and work im- pairment and $17 billion annually. Te parity law ensures individuals with a mental illness or substance use disorder will have coverage for treatment and services that is compara- ble for the services and treatment they receive for other health conditions. Te Affordable Care Act enhances the parity law by requiring coverage of treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. Tese two laws interact with one another and have significant implications for counties


as employers. Below are some of these implications. n County health plan mental health and substance use disorder treat-


ment coverage should comply with the MHPAEA regulation. n State parity laws may be stronger than MHPAEA. If this is the case,


health plans should comply with state laws and regulations. n Health plans cannot have different limits on co-pays, deductible, and


co-insurance for mental health and substance use disorder treatment than on physical health treatment – this is particularly important for employ- ers that may have a “carve out,” i.e., the behavioral health services are


provided by a different insurer than the one that covers physical health. n Current health plans should not have any annual or lifetime dollar


limits on behavioral health services. n Employees should be provided with information about their benefits


and be allowed to appeal if their insurer denies a claim n Te federal parity law does not apply to retiree-only health plans. As counties seek to ensure the health and well being of their employ- ees, optimizing behavioral health coverage is critical as the economic and social costs are high. In conjunction with the Affordable Care Act, the federal mental health and addiction parity law offers employees living


with behavioral health conditions access to care and effective treatment to lead healthy lives.


Georgetown University to offer new $5 million energy prize By Rob Pressly Georgetown University has announced a new competition for commu- nities to develop energy programs that will reduce their energy consump- tion. Application deadline is June 30. Te Georgetown University Energy Prize competition is offering a $5 million prize to a local community that can come up with the best long- term energy efficiency plan for “innovative, replicable, scalable and con- tinual reductions in the per capita energy consumed from local natural gas and electric utilities.” Ultimately, the award aims to create new ways for counties and local communities to think about how and why they use energy, with a focus on the role of energy reduction in tackling the energy and environmental challenges they face. Te competition is open to any county, city or town with a population


between 5,000 and 250,000. Tere are some 8,892 eligible communities, which represent nearly two-thirds of all the communities in the nation. Go to www.guep.org/who-can-compete to see if your county is eligible. Participating counties will be required to create a long-term plan for


energy reduction, as well as demonstrate their plan’s preliminary effective- ness for two years. Plans will be judged on a number of factors, including


how well they: n Create innovative approaches and techniques for reducing per-capita


energy use n Develop best practices to unite citizens, local governments, busi-


nesses, and electric utilities n Educate the public, especially students, on energy efficiency issues


and the benefits of reducing energy use n Increase the visibility of the work that Georgetown University and


the prize’s sponsors are doing to develop new strategies for reducing en- ergy usage and increasing energy efficiency


Advertiser Resource Index


AAC Risk Management ....................................................................... 4 AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust .......................................................... 49 DataScout .................................................................. . Inside Front Cover Apprentice Information Systems, Inc. .......................................................... 19 Crews and Associates ............................................................... Back Cover Ergon Asphalt & Paving ...................................................................... 22 Financial Intelligence ........................................................................ 33 Guardian RFID ............................................................................. 30 Nationwide Insurance ....................................................................... 18 Rainwater Holt & Sexton, PA .................................................................. 3 Southern Tire Mart ......................................................................... 51 Tax Pro ................................................................................... 34 Time Striping, Inc. .......................................................................... 10


This publication was made possible with the support of these advertising


partners who have helped to underwrite the cost of


County Lines. They deserve your consideration and


patronage when making your purchasing decisions. For


more information on how to partner with County Lines, please call Scott Perkins at (501) 372-7550.


50


COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2014


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52