AARP was among several organizations last November that supported the passage of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act as part of their statement they submitted to the Senate Finance Committee in response to the RFI on behavioral health policy solutions.
In a new article appearing in AARP’s Medicare Resource Center on “Older Adults Struggle to Find Affordable Mental Health Care,” the authors included in their summary section“Time for Change” the following statement:
“And the proposed Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021, introduced in the Senate, would widen the pool of providers that can deliver mental and behavioral mental health services to Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatric nurses can do so; mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists cannot be reimbursed by Medicare for their services. The legislation would add an estimated 225,000 licensed behavioral health providers to those available to Medicare beneficiaries.”
To access the full article, please see the link below.
With their influence on Capitol Hill on a range of issues, it is encouraging that AARP continues to reinforce messages in their communications in support of our legislation that the Coalition can highlight in our meetings with Congressional staff and in our communication initiatives.
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