Congratulations on an advocacy job well done! Thank you to the thousands of advocates who urged Congress to support this legislation to increase access to mental health in America and promote the counseling profession. WE did it!
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will now update the Medicare reimbursement rules to add LPCs to the Medicare provider list. This process may take 12 months as CMS updates regulatory language and internal systems that will accept LPCs as Medicare providers. During this time, ACA and our partners will work with stakeholders, including our members, to ensure that the appropriate systems are in place to support the profession. We will also work with our partners to conduct trainings to support the needs of LPCs wishing to enroll as Medicare providers.
Through all our efforts and your commitment to advocating for the counseling profession, Congress has come to know and understand our profession and how we support those in need of mental health services.
Please continue amplifying the voices of counselors to make legislative and policy changes for the profession and those served by LPCs by visiting the ACA Take Action Center to continue advocating for the profession today!
The Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition is proud to present a series of webinars to help counselors understand the Medicare enrollment process. Find out what to expect from enrollment and reimbursement as a new Medicare provider.
Medicare 101
An Introduction to the Medicare Program & Coverage of Counselors & MFTs
Medicare 301
Navigating the Medicare Provider Enrollment Process & Physician Fee Schedule
Medicare 401
Assessing Essential Features of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule
Medicare 501
New Engagement Opportunities for Community Behavioral Health Centers With Counselors
The Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition is a group of national and state organizations collectively representing hundreds of thousands of mental health and addiction disorder providers, clients, patients, and other stakeholders committed to strengthening Medicare beneficiaries’ access to mental and behavioral health care, building the provider workforce we need, and modernizing coordination of delivery and payment systems for that care.
To increase access to client choice for mental health provider care by passing the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S.828/H.R.432).
Outdated language in current Medicare coverage legislation caused many individuals who rely on Medicare to experience a variety of challenges to getting the care they need, including:
The Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021 (S. 828/H.R.432) would close the gap in federal law that prevents MHCs/LPCs and LMFTs from being recognized as Medicare providers. The legislation would give Medicare beneficiaries immediate access to over more than 225,000 additional licensed mental health professionals and help close the widening treatment gap.
A message from Senator John Barrasso on the Importance of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S.828)
American Counseling Association | American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy | American Mental Health Counselors Association |
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness | California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists | Centerstone |
Center for Medicare Advocacy | Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research | National Association for Rural Mental Health |
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors | National Board for Certified Counselors | National Council for Mental Wellbeing |
National Council on Aging |
To learn more about the work of the Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition, email advocacy@counseling.org or call 800-347-6647.