The AAMFT Blog

Congress Introduces MFTs in Medicare Legislation: Take Action Now!

Bipartisan legislation that would include licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), as well as licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), as Medicare providers has just been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Please contact your Members of Congress now and ask them to support MFTs as Medicare providers.

A new Congress, the 117^th Congress, convened on January 3. On January 21, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021, HR 432, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Representative John Katko (R-NY).  This bipartisan legislation would require Medicare to finally recognize LMFTs and LMHCs as Medicare-eligible providers of covered behavioral health services to Seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries.

AAMFT would like to thank Representatives Thompson and Katko for their past and current support for this legislation and their efforts in advocating for MFTs as Medicare providers.  Please read their press release on HR 432 for additional information on this legislation and powerful words of support for this legislation by Rep. Thompson and Rep. Katko.

This bill is identical to bills introduced in the House of Representatives (HR 945) and the Senate (S 286) in the last Congress, the 116^th Congress (2019-2020).  Last year, HR 945 passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee without any opposition.  This prior bill had a total of 123 Members of Congress who cosponsored this bill, which is a record level of support for any MFTs in Medicare bill.

The first step in moving this legislation through Congress is encouraging Members of Congress to cosponsor this bill. Although lobbyists for AAMFT and other associations who support this legislation will be urging Congresspersons to cosponsor this bill, it is absolutely essential that Members of Congress hear from you, as a constituent, that you support including MFTs as Medicare providers.  Having a large number of cosponsors early in the 117^th Congress makes it more likely that the House of Representatives will take up this legislation.

The introduction of this bill is the earliest date that an MFTs in Medicare bill has been introduced by a new Congress. This early introduction of HR 432 allows AAMFT and its allies more time to recruit support for this legislation.

Regarding the U.S. Senate, as most of you know, the Senate has just undergone a change in control from the Republicans to the Democrats. The Senate is also preparing for an upcoming trial. The Senate companion bill to HR 432 is expected to be introduced within the coming weeks.

Do you have family, friends or colleagues in other professions who want to support this legislation?  AAMFT has created a friends and family grassroots message that they can send to their Member of Congress to advocate for this important information.

Please feel free to contact us at familyteam@aamft.org if you have any questions.

Additional resources on MFTs in Medicare

AAMFT MFTs in Medicare Fact Sheet

Press Release from Representative Mike Thompson and Representative John Katko on H.R. 432

Why Single-Page Websites Are Bad for SEO

This content is provided by Brighter Vision, an affinity partner of AAMFT. This information is not necessarily the views of AAMFT and should not be interpreted as official policy.

Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in single-page websites among private practices. One-page designs have become “trendy” over the past couple of years, and, chances are, you may have already visited one of these sites a time or two before reading this article.

For those who may not have come across one yet, a single-page website includes the entire site’s worth of information on a single homepage. It often looks like one long page split into multiple sections (About, Services, Contact, etc.), all featured separately but on the same page to view everything in one place without redirecting to new pages. Basically, everything you need to know about that business is on that one single page – you just keep scrolling and scrolling until you find the section relevant to you.

While the idea of a single-page website might seem new and exciting, it is not doing your practice any favors when it comes to online visibility. It may even be working against all of your digital marketing efforts!

This article will cover the top reasons why SEO is essential and how single-page websites are lowering your SEO value.

What is SEO & Why is It Important?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the practice of making small modifications to various parts of your website to help search engines better understand your practice, so they’ll include your site in their search results, sending you free business. Businesses, just like yours, optimize their websites by following a set of Webmaster Guidelines hoping to achieve a spot on the first page of Google.

When any user visits a search engine, whether it be Google, Bing, or Yahoo, they expect a plethora of relevant responses. These search engines are among the most trusted for one reason – they only include the most relevant web pages in their online search results. Users know that if they ask one of these search engines a question, it’s highly unlikely they won’t find the answer they’re looking for within the first results page.

Search engine bots are continually scouring the internet, looking for new content to add to its index. When they come across a new website (or a new page on an established website), they scan its content looking for specific triggers that will help them understand what it’s all about. They then rate your page and use that rating to compare your page to others in their index and assign it a ranking in their search results. The more relevant your web page content is to a user’s query, the higher it will rank.

At this point, you might be wondering, “How does the number of pages I have on my website affect my online visibility?”

Think of it this way: the homepage of a website is like the foyer of a house, and the various web pages users can enter from there are all the different rooms of the house. You may be able to get a general idea of what the rest of the house looks like based on its foyer, but it will be a very vague concept at best. Before deciding if the home as a whole is right for you, you would still want to do a full walk-through and visit each individual room.

The same concept can be applied to a private practice website. A private practice website that displays all the necessary information on one seemingly neverending page doesn’t only make it difficult for human visitors to follow. It also makes it very difficult for search engine bots to gain a full understanding of your website, resulting in a poor ranking.

Now that we have established the importance of SEO let’s dive into how a single-page website can keep you from achieving a high page ranking.

Reason #1: Limited Backlink Opportunities

Free Webinar: Top 5 Private Practice Tips for 2021

How would you like to be able to reach even more clients this year?

 

With 2021 in full swing, now is the perfect time to revamp your business and marketing plans to attract more of your ideal clients and grow your practice this year like never before.

 

During this AAMFT member-exclusive webinar, Brighter Vision's Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sam Chlebowski, will discuss how you can ensure you've set your private practice up for success in 2021 by revisiting and/or tweaking your:

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• Website
• Social Media Marketing

He will also be answering your questions live throughout this event. 

 

To register for this webinar, please click here or visit the following link: https://my.demio.com/ref/1mS0A2lGxg4rcrGx

 

If you can't attend the event in real-time, don't worry. The webinar will be recorded so you can always view it later. 

 

Brighter Vision is a preferred vendor of AAMFT, specializing in making marketing simple for private practices. Their all-inclusive website design service helps therapists grow their practices with a variety of marketing tools and resources. All members receive their entire first year of a new website with Brighter Vision for only $49/month plus no setup fees; that’s a savings of $220. To take advantage of this offer, please click here.

Resources for Times of Crisis

Violence in the Nation's Capital

AAMFT strongly condemns the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 6th by rioters seeking to overturn the democratic process. The resulting feelings of fear, anger, injustice, and distress have a profound systemic effect on ourselves, our family units, and our nation. We stand with marriage and family therapists who provide essential mental healthcare, and encourage anyone whose well-being has been impacted to reach out and utilize these resources.

www.aamft.org/findatherapist

Parenting in times of crisis

Talking to kids when the news is scary

Adolescents and social media