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WHY MFT MEDICARE RECOGNITION? MFT recognition within Medicare would mark a major win for public access to mental health services around the country. Communications to key legislators could be critical in helping to ensure that the “Seniors Mental Health Improvement Act” has adequate bipartisan support and a fighting chance for expeditious congressional passage!

SPECIFIC LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: Improve access to Medicare-covered mental health services by including family therapists among the list of providers who can deliver covered mental health services and pay for those services.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is a federal agency who counts marriage and family therapists among the providers qualified to deliver necessary mental health services. The failure of the Medicare program to recognize marriage and family therapists creates the unfortunate circumstance that in communities where a marriage and family therapist is providing mental health service needs, HRSA would consider the community well served. In fact, however, the elderly of those communities have no access to mental health services because Medicare will not cover the one mental health provider they can reasonably access. Marriage and family therapists are not seeking to expand the scope of mental health services covered by Medicare, nor are they seeking to expand their own scope of practice. Instead, MFTs are simply trying to correct an inequity that restricts beneficiaries’ access to a particular type of qualified mental health provider.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact AAMFT: Brian Rasmussen (703-253-0463) or Melissa Stamps (703-253-0445).

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