The following bill has been introduced into the 116th U.S. Congress in both the House and the Senate and needs the support of our Florida members of Congress:
H.R. 945/S. 286 Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019
Why this bill is important*:
Medicare does not include licensed professional counselors in its coverage. Medicare beneficiaries are often at higher risk for mental health problems, such as depression and opioid addiction, yet older Americans are the least likely to receive mental health services. Only 1 in 5 older Americans receive needed mental health care, according to NAMI.
Medicaid recipients can see an LPC and Medicaid will cover them-until they reach 65. Many individuals with private health insurance have mental health coverage but, once they retire, find that they can no longer afford to see an LPC. The passage of this legislation will enable Medicare to help the 4 out 5 seniors currently not receiving much-needed mental health care.
As of 2/19/19, no Florida members of Congress have expressed their support of House Bill H.R. 945 or Senate Bill S. 286 by co-sponsoring this legislation. Please contact your House Representative and Senators Rubio and Scott and urge them to co-sponsor this legislation.
If you are a current ACA member, you can click the link below to log in and send your message to your Florida Representative and our Florida Senators via ACA legislative action initiative:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/qIa8vLX99ztuYrRSWni89w
Or contact your Representative and Senators directly. You can identify your members of Congress and access e-mail, phone number, and mailing address information here:
https://whoismyrepresentative.com/
*summary text on H.R. 945/S. 286 resourced from ACA legislative alert 2/15/19.
