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Contact Your Senators Now to Request Support for S.
1760, the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act
As you know, on Tuesday, December 4th, Sens. Craig Thomas (R-WY) and
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) introduced S. 1760, the Seniors Mental Health
Access Improvement Act. This bipartisan legislation will allow mental
health counselors and marriage and family therapists to bill Medicare
directly for providing services to beneficiaries.
While we are pleased with the introduction of this legislation, there's
still a long way to go and a lot of work to do before the bill becomes
law. AMHCA's goal is to
obtain as many co-sponsors as possible to build support for S. 1760.
Since this is a bipartisan bill, we are hopeful that we will be able to
attract significant support from both Republicans and Democrats.
What You Can Do
AMHCA has prepared a sample letter for you and others interested in this
issue to send to your two Senators asking them to cosponsor S. 1760. If
you don't know who your Senators are, visit AMHCA's website at http://www.amhca.org
and click on the Public Policy button. In the Zip and Go section, type
in your zip code. A screen with the elected officials for your state
will appear. The sample letter is attached in Word format and for those
of you who are unable to open Word documents, the text of the letter has
been inserted into this message.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact
Beth Powell, Director of Public Policy and Legislation at 800-326-2642,
ext. 105, or by e-mail at bpowell@amhca.org.
Please forward this e-mail to other mental health counselors who may
share these interests. Updates on the legislation's progress will be
provided in the Advocate, E-News from Washington, and on AMHCA's
website.
Mental health counselors have a critical role to play in this campaign.
Take time to contact your Senators to ask them to cosponsor S.
1760 - a little commitment now from each member can have a profound
effect.
TEXT OF LETTER TO SENATORS IN SUPPORT OF S. 1760
Date
The Honorable (Full name of Senator)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator (Last name):
I am writing to express my strong support for S. 1760, the Seniors
Mental Health Access Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation to expand
access to mental health providers in
the Medicare program. As a mental health counselor and a
constituent, I want to convey to you the importance of this legislation
to mental health counselors in (name of state), and to Medicare's 39
million beneficiaries.
Mental health counselors - also called Licensed Professional Counselors
- are mental health professionals with a master's or doctoral degree in
counseling or related discipline who provide services along a continuum
of care. Currently, 45 states and the District of Columbia license or
certify mental health counselors to independently provide mental health
services, including the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional
disorders.
As you may know, Medicare currently covers the services of
psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and
clinical nurse specialists, but does not recognize mental health
counselors or marriage and family therapists as separately reimbursable
providers. Specifically, S. 1760 corrects this inequity by including
mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists among the
list of providers who can deliver mental health services, provided they
are legally authorized to perform the services under state law.
Enactment of this provision would increase access to and the
availability of mental health services to Medicare beneficiaries,
particularly for those seniors who reside in rural and underserved
areas. The inclusion of mental health counselors and marriage and
family therapists in the program would also afford
beneficiaries choice among qualified providers.
If you would like to cosponsor the Seniors Mental Health Access
Improvement Act, please contact Linda Rouse in Sen. Thomas' office at
202-224-6441 or Elizabeth Macdonald in the office of Sen. Lincoln at
202-224-4843.
Thank you for considering my views on this issue. If you need additional
information about mental health counselors, please feel free to contact
Beth Powell, Director of Public Policy and Professional Issues at the
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), at 703-546-6002,
ext. 105. I look forward to your favorable reply.
Sincerely,
Your name (and credentials)
Beth Powell
AMHCA Director of Public Policy and Professional Issues
801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 304
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-548-6002, ext. 105
www.amhca.org
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