This summer, AAMFT continues to advocate for Congress to pass legislation that would allow LMFTs, as well as LMHCs, to be recognized as Medicare providers. Earlier this year, legislation to finally add LMFTs and LMHCs as Medicare providers—the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021—was introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 432 and in the Senate as S. 828. So far, 41 members of the House of Representatives have agreed to cosponsor H.R 432 and 14 Senators have agreed to cosponsor S. 828.
AAMFT and its allies supporting H.R. 432 and S. 828 continue to seek additional cosponsors for this legislation. This summer, there are a few things that you can do to persuade your Members of Congress to support the MFTs in Medicare legislation and to move this legislation forward:
- Email Congress: If you have not already done so, please advocate for the MFTs in Medicare legislation (H.R. 432/S. 828) by sending a message to your Members of Congress through AAMFT’s grassroots portal urging them to support MFTs as Medicare providers. AAMFT has also created a special grassroots message that friends and family of AAMFT members can send to their Members of Congress.
- Write a letter to your local newspaper: You can also advocate for MFTs as Medicare providers by sending an op ed article to your local newspapers advocating for this important cause. Please see AAMFT’s 2021 Op-ed Campaign page for details on writing an op ed, including a sample article.
- Virtual Capitol Hill visits: This summer, AAMFT is embarking on a campaign to connect some Family TEAM members with their Members of Congress who sit on the key committees with jurisdiction over the MFTs in Medicare legislation. These virtual Capitol Hill visits—conducted by video or telephone—will include a congressional staff member and AAMFT’s federal lobbyist. AAMFT has contacted a few Family TEAM members about this opportunity, and will be contacting additional members. If you receive an email from AAMFT about participating in a virtual Capitol Hill visit, please consider participating in these important meetings.
Please see the AAMFT website for additional information on the MFTs in Medicare legislation. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.