Mental Health Association in California
COALITION BUILDING EXPERTISE
Mental Health Association in California – Access Coalition
CHALLENGE
Medi-Cal Says No to Breakthrough Medications that Treat Schizophrenia
In the late 1990s, the Food & Drug Administration approved several breakthrough antipsychotic medications shown to provide improved management of schizophrenia with fewer side effects. Despite the undisputed scientific evidence, California's Medi-Cal program opted not to add the medications to its formulary, noting the medications were “too expensive.” The Mental Health Association in California enlisted Perry Communications Group’s counsel to build a coalition of advocates supporting a legislative approach to reverse Medi-Cal’s decision.
SOLUTION
Build an Economic Case Showing the Breakthrough Medications are Worth the Investment
Perry Communications Group mobilized key stakeholders from the public and private sector to form the Access Coalition. Consumer advocates, psychiatrists, public health officials, law enforcement leaders and pharmaceutical manufacturers teamed up to inform elected officials about the access challenge of thousands and thousands of Medi-Cal recipients and the resulting cost to California. The Mental Health Association in California and Access Coalition commissioned a study that found the financial benefits resulting from the new medications would more than offset their costs. The study showed the new treatments would improve consumer compliance and reduce side effects, which combined meant the state would save money it spent on hospitalizations and incarcerations resulting from older, less effective medicines. To reinforce the study’s findings, media outreach featured compelling consumer success and horror stories that powerfully showed how the new medications could change lives and save state resources.
RESULT
Political Support Garnered; Legislation Introduced and Passed to Provide Consumers Access to Needed Medications
- Media outreach generated extensive press coverage including supportive editorials, which collectively totaled 20 million impressions.
- The Access Coalition’s powerful message and solid economic argument garnered political support from both houses and parties.
- The introduction and eventual passage of AB 659 granted consumers access to new medications. The legislation created a new Medi-Cal drug category for “atypical” antipsychotic medications and removed the state's unofficial “three strikes” hurdle, which required a patient to fail on older medications before being allowed to access newer treatments.
