ACA Government Affairs Blog

The Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land after a repeal bill failed 49-51, but what is its future in areas where it's struggling?

The Senate has begun debating and voting on healthcare reform but what approach,if anything, can get 50 votes is entirely unclear.

ACA webinar explains the budget process from White House budget to Congressional budget to annual spending bills, with a focus on money for school counseliong grants.

Governor Raimondo signed a bill banning conversion therapy on minors in Rhode Island.

Over one hundred ACA members descended on Capitol Hill this week for meetings with their Members of Congress to advocate for issues important to counseling and counselors.

Senator McConnell released the revised Senate repeal-and-replace healthcare bill last week and planned to begin voting on it this week. However, that plan is on hold as Senator McCain recovers from surgery.

With Congress in recess, a revised bill is being evaluated with the goal of attracting just enough support from conservatives and moderates in the Senate.

To see what could happen if the repeal and replace bill repeals mental health as a required coverage by granting waivers to states, we can look at coverage before it was a requirement in Obamacare.

The Senate Republicans are about to unveil their repeal and replace bill with the goal of voting on it next week. Details remain sketchy.

Congressman Ted Lieu received the Illumination Award for passing the nation's first statewide conversion therapy ban in California and for introducing similar legislation in Washington.

CBO scores are the official cost-benefit analysis of bills introduced in Congress. The score for the healthcare reform bill the House already passed came out yesterday. It actually matters more now that the bill is in the Senate than it did for the House.

The President's budget targets SAMHSA programs as well as Medicare, threatening mental health treatment for millions.

ACA's first budget briefing will cover Department of Education cuts and the impact on school counselors. Sign up for the Thursday webinar to learn more.

Governor Sandoval signs bill banning conversion therapy on minors in Nevada, which becomes the ninth state to do so.

Medicaid plays a key role in providing mental health care for millions of people, and the funding for that role is significantly reduced in the House healthcare reform bill. The Senate is now writing its own bill. State governments may end up deciding how much new money to contribute to make up for lost federal funds.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed a bill banning conversion therapy on minors Wednesday, the same day it was passed by the Senate. Connecticut becomes the eighth state to do so.

The House passed a healthcare reform bill that substitutes tax credits for insurance subsidies, removes the requirement for mental health coverage, and removes millions from the Medicaid rolls. The Senate will now write its own bill that will not be the same as the House's.

This afternoon the President signed the bill that funds the government through September 30. Money for mental health programs, money for fighting opioid abuse, and money for schools becomes available.

A former chief medical director at SAMHSA has been chosen to oversee the agency. She criticized its approach to severe mental illness after she left, and the Congressman who helped create the post overseeing the agency has criticized the nomination.

The Supreme Court upholds California's conversion therapy ban, which was challenged on religious freedom grounds and previously on free speech grounds. This protects bans in other states as well. Congress is considering a nationwide ban on conversion therapy as a fraudulent business practice.