Senate Bill Lacking LMHCs Medicare Coverage Sent to Conference with Pro-LMHC House Bill
Early Christmas Eve, the Senate passed H.R. 3590, its health care reform bill. H.R. 3590 lacks any provisions providing for LMHC Medicare eligibility. As the Senate bill is sent to the House for conference, AMHCA urges its membership to continue to push their legislators, in both the Senate and House, for inclusion of LMHC Medicare eligibility in the bodies' final health care reform product.
12/24/2009
Early Christmas Eve morning, the United States Senate, by a vote of 60-39 passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote for H.R. 3590 was entirely partisan, with the Democratic caucus fully supporting the measure, and the GOP membership voting it down. Following the holiday recess, leaders of the Senate and House committees tasked with health care reform will convene to begin the process of melding the House and Senate health care bills.
Medicare eligibility of LMHCs never made it into the Senate's bill, H.R. 3590. This important mental health access provision is currently included in Section 1308 of the House's health care reform bill, H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. AMHCA presently asks its members to continue to impress upon their Senators the importance of Medicare eligibility for LMHCs. Members are encouraged to ask their U.S. Senators to support addition of H.R. 3962s Section 1308 in any final bill health care reform bill sent to President Obama for a signature.
AMHCA commends the breadth of advocacy work that has already been performed by numerous LMHC members. Conference sessions between the House and Senate over the final shape health care reform will take are expected to last into late January and possibly early February. Please continue to advocate for LMHC inclusion in the Medicare outpatient mental health provider pool. Additionally, thank your U.S. Representatives for including this necessary provision in the House's health care reform bill. Request that House members do their best to preserve Medicare eligibility of LMHCs in the final bill sent to President Obama for enactment.
Please contact AMHCAs Director of Legislative Affairs, Julie A. Clements, J.D. at jclements@amhca.org or via phone at (703)-548-6002 ext. 105 for further information.