November 25th, 2009
ACA CALL TO ACTION: Help Establish Medicare Reimbursement of Counselors!
Ask Senator Gillibrand to Cosponsor S. 671, Medicare Reimbursement of Counselors
S. 671’s companion legislation, H.R. 1693, has made it into the House health care reform bill, H.R. 1693. This provision has not yet made it into the Senate bill. To ensure this provision remains in a final health care bill, we need to muster as much support as possible from U.S. Senators. It’s not too late to ask your Senator to sign onto S. 671 as a cosponsor.
By adding Licensed Mental Health Counselors/Licensed Professional Counselors to Medicare, seniors will have enhanced access to mental health care. Additionally, the Medicare program can purchase health care more efficiently by spending less money up front on preventive outpatient mental health care before mental health and emotional disorders exacerbate into chronic mental and physical illnesses necessitating thousands of dollars of taxpayer expenditure.
The following Senators have signed onto cosponsor S. 671; ask Senator Gillibrand to sign-on as a cosponsor today!
Listed below are the Senators cosponsoring S. 671, the "Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act." S. 671 simply establishes Medicare coverage of state-licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists, for the same medically necessary outpatient mental health services currently covered when provided by a clinical social worker.
Senator Mark Begich (AK)
Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR) sponsor
Senator Barbara Boxer (CA)
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
Senator Dick Durbin (IL)
Senator Carl Levin (MI)
Senator Byron Dorgan (ND)
Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Senator Sherrod Brown (OH)
Senator Jeff Merkley (OR)
Senator Ron Wyden (OR)
Senator Tim Johnson (SD)
Senator Patty Murray (WA)
Senator John Barrasso (WY)
Julie A. Clements, J.D.
Director of Legislative Affairs
American Mental Health Counselors Association
801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 304
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 800-326-2642 X 105
FAX: 703-548-4775
Website: www.amhca.org
E-mail: jclements@amhca.org
