A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The Senate is considering Medicare legislation to pump billions of dollars into maintaining physician payment rates. Other changes to Medicare are also being discussed, and Congress can take an important—and extremely cost-effective—step to improve beneficiaries' access to outpatient mental health services by establishing coverage of licensed professional counselors. The following Senators are cosponsoring S. 921, legislation which would do just this.
If your Senator is on this list, thank them! If your Senator is NOT on this list, they should be! The more cosponsors on the bill, the more likely it is to be included in a broader Medicare bill. Senators can be reached by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121 and asking to be connected to their office.
S. 921 cosponsors, as of May 1, 2008:Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)Senator John Barrasso (R-WY)Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD)Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)
Counselors can also email their Senators here.
To find out how you can help move us forward, visit the ACA Legislative Action Center. For more information on the issues we are following and ACA's advocacy efforts, or to sign up for the Government Relations Listserv, e-mail the Public Policy department at publicpolicy@counseling.org. Note: You must be an ACA member to join this Listserv.
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Legislative Agenda (PDF)
Who We Are and What We Do (PDF)