Alexandria, Va., June 29, 2007 - The American Mental Health Counselors Association and its partners' efforts to pass Medicare reimbursement for state-licensed mental health counselors took another step further on June 26, 2007, with the introduction of H.R. 2860, the Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2007. Although the primary focus of the bill is on rural health care, the legislation would allow mental health counselors to be reimbursed in all areas of the country.
The bill was introduced by a bi-partisan group of House Rural Health Caucus members, led by co-chairs Reps. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Greg Walden (R-OR). The legislation was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill has 53 bipartisan cosponsors. H.R. 2860 is similar to legislation introduced on June 13, 2007, by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) as S. 1605, the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (R-HOPE) Act of 2007, named in honor of the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY), who died on June 4, 2007.
Introduction of the House bill brings to five the total number of proposals under which mental health counselors would be allowed to bill Medicare. Bi-partisan legislation is also pending in the Senate (S. 921), introduced by Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and the late Sen. Thomas to reimburse mental health counselors under Medicare. In addition, in March 2007, Reps. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) and Bart Gordon (D-TN) introduced a House companion bill (H.R. 1588) to S. 921.
Another bill is pending, H.R. 1663, "the Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act," which was introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, which has jurisdiction over the Medicare program. This bill, also sponsored by Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), would, among other things, allow mental health counselors to provide mental health services to Medicare beneficiaries.
AMHCA is working with its coalition partners, the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) to enact legislation to allow mental health counselors to bill Medicare.
Upon hearing the news of the bill's introduction, AMHCA President Gail Mears, PsyD, LCMHC, NCC, said, "AMHCA commends Reps. Pomeroy and Walden for introducing this legislation to make improvements to rural health care. We look forward to working with the House and Senate Rural Health Care Caucus' to see the ultimate enactment of this important legislation."