American Counseling Association Seeks to Improve Mental Health for Medicare Beneficiaries in a Sign-On Letter to U.S. House

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Dec. 4 -- The American Counseling Association issued the following news:

ACA is advocating to have the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019 included in a House floor vote or end of the year package.

ACA is launching a targeted advocacy push for House leadership to have H.R.945, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019, included in a future House floor vote or in a potential end of the year package, to improve mental health for Medicare beneficiaries.

ACA, along with nine other national organizations from the Medicare coalition, has issued a letter to that effect along with supporting data.

We will keep you updated as things progress.

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November 24, 2020

To: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:

The undersigned organizations are writing to respectfully request you to support the millions of Medicare beneficiaries in need of mental health counseling services by urging Congress to pass H.R. 945, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019. The Mental Health Access Improvement Act, introduced by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and John Katko (RNY) and which has bipartisan and bicameral support in the 116th Congress passed favorably out of the Energy & Commerce Committee on September 9, 2020. This legislation would extend Medicare coverage to include services furnished by licensed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists.

Since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary declared a public health emergency due to COVID-19 on January 31, 2020, older Americans' emotional, mental, and physical wellness has been significantly impacted. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that, as of April 2020, almost half of Americans reported negative impacts to their mental health related to the pandemic.1 Medicare beneficiaries are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic and have historically had restricted access to behavioral health services, exacerbating negative impacts on mental health. In March alone, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Hotline saw an 891% increase in calls.2 Statistics like this demonstrate that, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is facing a mental health epidemic, one that will likely fall disproportionally on rural and underserved areas.

As of 2019, over 77 million people in the U.S. live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),3 with 50% of rural counties in America have no practicing psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers.4 Existing mental health systems are in place, with over 225,000 graduate-level mental health professionals across the nation to help address these gaps. These licensed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists are recognized by Medicaid, TRICARE, the VA, and most private insurers, leaving only Medicare beneficiaries uncovered. Licensed marriage and family therapists and licensed professional mental health counselors are a health care workforce already in place to help this population.

Yet, Medicare has not updated its covered provider list since 1989 with the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, effectively creating a mental health coverage gap for Medicare beneficiaries, which H.R. 945 aims to permanently fill. According to a recent New York Times article, Virginia Tech professor of Counseling Education Dr. Matthew Fullen surveyed 3,500 practicing licensed counselors and found that over 50% had turned away patients because of the Medicare coverage gap, with almost 40% having been forced to refer existing patients elsewhere once they become Medicare eligible.5

For all of these reasons, we urge House leadership to include H.R. 945, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, in a future House floor vote or included in a potential end-of-the-year package, to improve mental health for Medicare beneficiaries. If our coalition can be of any assistance, or if you have any questions, please contact David Connolly of the Connolly Group at [email protected] or 202-557-1728 or the American Counseling Association's (ACA) Director of Government Affairs, Brian Banks, at [email protected] or at 703-823-9800, ext. 242.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Best,

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness

American Counseling Association

American Mental Health Counselors Association

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

Center for Medicare Advocacy

Centerstone

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

National Board for Certified Counselors

National Council for Behavioral Health

CC: Rep. Frank Pallone, Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman

Rep. Greg Walden, Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member

Rep. Richard Neal, Ways & Means Committee Chairman

Rep. Kevin Brady, Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member

Rep. Mike Thompson

Rep. John Katko

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