[Counselor_Educ] Contact your US Senators & Representative Today to Expand Access to Mental Health Care

[Bhat, Christine]

Dear Counselor Education community at Ohio University,

Please tell Congress to expand access to mental health care!
ACA has made it easy for you to do so!

The US Congress will be acting on legislation this year that would recognize licensed professional counselors as independent providers under Medicare. This would be a huge victory for our professional counselors and meet a critical need for members of society. ACA has made it very easy to communicate your support by simply going to the following link:   www.votervoice.net/COUNSELING/Campaigns/83851/Respond<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.votervoice.net%2FCOUNSELING%2FCampaigns%2F83851%2FRespond&data=05%7C01%7Ccounselor_educ%40listserv.ohio.edu%7C4311ad637ed048efd66a08da34441fdf%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637879764432281052%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iiqgmDETbgpynIADKSwOVMwmr1FVZRvUeeJAdxtEBIU%3D&reserved=0>
I hope you will join me and the ACA leadership in supporting this critical legislation.


  *   When you go to ACA's Voter Voice site, you are asked for your address which will then AUTOMATICALLY provide your Senators and US Representative.
  *   ACA has already populated the message with a generic ask that they support our bills. You can personalize the message if you wish.

Thanks, and kind regards,

Chris Bhat, Professor, Ohio University
Member, ACA Governing Council

From: ACA Government Affairs <advocacy at counseling.org<mailto:advocacy at counseling.org>>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2022 10:55 AM
To: Bhat, Christine <bhatc at ohio.edu<mailto:bhatc at ohio.edu>>
Subject: [External] Attention: Our Nation's Mental Health Needs Are at Stake

Use caution with links and attachments.
Please tell Congress to support their constituents by expanding access to mental health care. The Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S. 828/H.R. 432) would close the gap in federal law that prevent
[https://d3dkdvqff0zqx.cloudfront.net/groups/counseling/images/ea932e4cbd2d1fa9a4e137066c711399d6f728fa.jpeg]

Please tell Congress to support their constituents by expanding access to mental health care.

The Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S. 828<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.votervoice.net%2FBroadcastLinks%2Fy7d58v1QBoYBRoY2MnfOrg&data=05%7C01%7Ccounselor_educ%40listserv.ohio.edu%7C4311ad637ed048efd66a08da34441fdf%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637879764432281052%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TgJvZARv9JN8qHaH6SV%2B%2B1XuTlyBtZPNVnzey0fBmq4%3D&reserved=0>/H.R. 432<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.votervoice.net%2FBroadcastLinks%2FA23z8UdMv025WpJ4pgL9eA&data=05%7C01%7Ccounselor_educ%40listserv.ohio.edu%7C4311ad637ed048efd66a08da34441fdf%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637879764432281052%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ni5YbkxSZ3wMjIZtSt4Q%2Fyg4qKTIxJodnywrZ%2B4yJZg%3D&reserved=0>) would close the gap in federal law that prevents mental health counselors from being recognized as Medicare providers. This legislation would give Medicare beneficiaries access to more than 225,000 additional licensed mental health professionals and help close the widening treatment gap between people on Medicare and people with private insurance.

Passing the Mental Health Access Improvement Act will:

  *   provide you as a licensed mental health counselor the option of enrolling as a provider within the Medicare program, thus increasing your opportunities to earn income;
  *   improve access to mental health care for people age 65 and older, people under age 65 with disabilities and people with end stage renal disease (kidney failure); and
  *   increase mental health provider options for U.S. veterans.

If this legislation becomes law:

  *   licensed mental health counselors like you will receive reimbursement for mental health care services rendered to eligible clients at a rate equal to that currently paid to Medicare providers in the field of social work.



We at the American Counseling Association are calling on you and others in the counseling community to continue engaging your congressional representatives on the need for this legislation. Let them know today that including mental health counselors as Medicare providers will help to close a critical gap in coverage for many people. We need all counselors of all specialties to support this legislation. A win here is a win for the entire counseling community. After you take action, please ask your colleagues, family and friends to do so too and to share this Action Alert with their networks. Thank you for your support.

Please note: The term "mental health counselor" encompasses all licensed practicing counselors working in the United States, regardless of how the licensed counselors are referred to in a particular state.




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