6/01 Medicare Alert!
Action Alert
Medicare Bills Introduced MFT Action Needed!!!
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6/00 MFT Alert for U.S. Senate
Patients' Rights Bill (below 1st article)
MFT Bill (below the second one)
ACA Letter on Patients' Rights Bill (below third one)
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6/00
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Following is a suggested letter for your use.
The Honorable (Senator's name) (Washington DC address)
Dear Senator:
As a constituent and a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist in (name of your city), I am writing to request your assistance with a major inequity occurring in the Medicare program. Although marriage and family therapy is one of the five core mental health disciplines recognized by the Health Resources Services Administration for purposes of determining mental health shortage areas, MFTs are the only core mental health discipline not approved to provide services under the Medicare program. This issue impacts the more than 46,000 licensed marriage and family therapists in the United States and their millions of elderly clients.
I am writing to request that you champion legislation to provide recognition and coverage of marriage and family therapists under Medicare Part B. The House of Representatives has such a bill pending in the Committees on Ways and Means and Commerce. Representative Nathan Deal (R-GA) introduced H.R. 2945, the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act, on September 24, 1999, and has since gathered 44 bipartisan cosponsors. I believe this issue is equally important to the Senate.
MFTs possess a masters' level or doctoral degree in the field and are required to obtain two years post-graduate clinical experience. I am not seeking to expand the scope of mental health services covered by Medicare, nor am I seeking to expand my scope of practice. Instead, I am seeking to correct an inequity that restricts beneficiaries' access to a particular type of qualified mental health provider.
As a respected legislator with a reputation for responding to constituent concerns, I request your sponsorship of legislation to increase access to a qualified mental health professional in Medicare. Please let me know if I can count on you to take up this issue so important to my practice, profession and the Medicare beneficiaries in (state) and through this nation.
Sincerely,
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NOTE: The below memo is being sent to signers of the Internet Petition for Patients' Rights. If you would like to be on the regular Families USA Listserv and receive more updates on Managed care and other Health Issues, see our web site at
Jeff Kirsch, Field Director
Families USA
1334 G St., NW
Washington, DC 20005
Ph: 202/628-3030
Fx: 202/347-2417
Email:
JKirsch@familiesUSA.org
Web: FamiliesUSA
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DRAFT SUGGESTED LETTER
(Your Letterhead)
(date)
The Honorable J.C. Watts
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Representative Watts:
As a constituent and a practicing Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in your district, I am writing to request your assistance with a major problem in the Medicare program and in my own practice. Although marriage and family therapy is one of the five core mental health disciplines recognized by the Health Resources Service Administration, MFTs are the only core mental health professional not recognized by Medicare.
[Personalize your letter by describing your practice: such as number of clients, years in practice, practice setting, etc.]
As Congress considers restructuring the Medicare program and/or addressing some of the problems with the Balanced Budget Act, I ask for you to cosponsor H.R. 2945, The Seniors Mental Health Access Act of 1999. HR 2945 was introduced by Rep,. Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Rep. Ted. Strickland (D-OH) to include marriage and family therapists as a recognized provider in the Medicare Program.
This legislation would have a significant impact on my clients and practice. Elderly residents of my community frequently need access to mental health services and have been unable to obtain coverage for MFTs through the Medicare program. MFTs are already recognized by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Defense (both in CHAMPUS and TRICARE), the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and in the private sector.
I request your support in obtaining recognition and coverage under Medicare Part B so that Medicare beneficiaries in need of mental health services, can obtain these covered services from a Marriage and Family Therapist who is authorized to provide that service. The Deal-Strickland bill does not seek to expand the scope of mental health services covered by Medicare. Instead, it seeks to correct an inequity that restricts beneficiaries' access to a particular type of qualified mental health provider.
Please cosponsor H.R. 2945, The Seniors Mental Health Improvement Act of 1999. I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
This also refers to the bill that passed the House Friday. It's our job to see that the Senate knows the public is watching, and doesn't bury it in committee:
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Hello Gene, and thanks for contacting us. Following is the second e-mail within the last few days that we sent out to members of our Government Relations e-mail listserve on the managed care vote. In addition, for months now we've had an up-to-date briefing paper on managed care on the government relations section of ACA's web page. (I guess I need to update it again, now that it's passed the House!) We've been very active in the large coalition of groups supporting strong managed care legislation, and I spent a couple of days the week before last making group visits with other coalition lobbyists to Capitol Hill offices in support of the legislation.
If you'd like to join the ACA government relations e-mail listserve to get message like these on legislation of importance to counselors, send me an e-mail back with your ACA member ID number and your e-mail address.
Thanks--
Scott Barstow ACA Public Policy and Information sbarstow@counseling.org 703 823-9800 x234