The Warren County Commissioners have come out swinging in opposition to proposed changes to how mental health and drug and alcohol services are managed across the Commonwealth.

At issue are House Bill 335 and Senate Bill 268, which would remove the “carveout” from the state Behavioral Health Choices program and allows counties to independently provide those – and other – human services.

“Counties were carved out of the system and allowed to control their human services funding,” Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said during Wednesday’s commissioner’s meeting.

Eggleston described the system as “one of the best systems in the United States” and “one of the most cost-effective.”

“I can’t stress enough local management from these funds,” he said.

According to a fact sheet presented at the meeting, the proposed legislation would remove that “carveout” and “turn over management and arrangement of services to MCOs (managed care organizations. This would remove local control and turn it over to large ‘non-profits’ which would then determine what services are provided locally and manage the various Human Services contracts they would negotiate.”

Eggleston said he trusts “local administrators a lot more than Highmark or UPMC…”

“Every major association in the state opposes this bill,” Eggleston said, noting that previous pilot programs that have resulted in savings from a “deterioration of services” that were “generally pocketed by the company and not returned to the state.”

Eggleston said the county can now reinvest the savings in programming or return to the state.

“If this passes, (we are) going to see a loss of local jobs, local investment (and are) also going to see a deterioration of service,” he said, noting services would be based on the “bottom line” rather than the “needs of the county.”

Ronna Tipton, human services administrator with Forest-Warren Human Services, said there are 7,500 individuals from Warren County enrolled in the Behavioral Health Choices program and that the reinvestment has brought $1.6 million to be re-invested in services here.

“That’s why Human Services is so staunchly supporting the opposition,” she said.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin noted that this program impacts one-fifth of the county’s residents and the change will result in the county losing “nimbleness” to meet “the unique needs of our community. (The county is) not in it to make a profit.”

Kafferlin said they met with human services providers with State Representative Kathy Rapp.

The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution opposing the change.