Dear Colleagues:
Please contact your congressmen and senator to support that licensed marriage, family and mental health counselors be covered under medicare .
Please see below the press release by AMCHA this morning:
Congressional Background Information Legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to establish Medicare coverage of licensed professional counselors. On March 23rd, Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced S. 671, the "Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009." The next day, Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN) introduced H.R. 1693, identical legislation with the same title. The legislation would also establish coverage of licensed marriage and family therapists. AMHCA and ACA worked closely with Senators Lincoln and Barrasso, and with Congressman Gordon, on the development and preparation of the legislation.
We Need Cosponsors! Mental health counselors are strongly encouraged to call, write, or e-mail their Senators to ask them to cosponsor S. 671, and their Representative to ask for cosponsorship of H.R. 1693. The more cosponsors we have for S. 671 and H.R. 1693, the more likely we are to gain their inclusion in the larger Medicare legislation to be approved by Congress.
Follow this effective method to reach your senators and representatives:
Call 202-224-3121 (the main Capitol switchboard).
Ask to be connected to the office of a specific senator or representative.
Once connected, ask to speak with the health legislative assistant.
Ask his or her boss to co-sponsor the bills referenced in this message.
We Are at a Critical Crossroads!Yes, Congress has actively considered legislation providing Medicare reimbursement to LPCs for several years now. But THIS year, in THIS session, Congress will be considering legislation to reform America’s health care system. Plus, Congress will pass Medicare legislation this year, in order to prevent a scheduled 20% pay cut for physicians under the program from taking effect on January 1, 2010. We need mental health counselor coverage to be part of this Medicare package—and this represents a prime opportunity to achieve our long sought goals.
Please take a moment to call or e-mail your Representative and Senators and ask them to cosponsor the "Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009" (H.R. 1693 / S. 671).This legislation will improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to outpatient mental health care in a cost-effective manner, by establishing coverage of highly-qualified LPCs.
For more information, contact Al Guida, AMHCA's lobbyist, at 202-331-1120, or e-mail him with any questions. Act now!
Submitted by,
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Will Viritual Reality replace the Brick and Mortar of Counseling?
Michael Ventura's article, "Screenworld" (Psychotherapy Network, Jan/Feb 2009) talked about the differences and impact of cyberspace on the traditional brick and mortar style of counseling.
It is true that more and more people are using the internet for a variety of reasons. Some people find comfort in engaging in social networks such as facebook and myspace as a way of connecting with each other and meeting new people. Others enjoy participating in a variety of interactive computer games that can be discerning, particulary, for children and teens engaging in violent and competitive games with each other. The internet can also provide valuable educational opportunities for adults to take college classes online and to click on to other websites that can provide informal learning opportunities based upon an individual's interest area.
The question is "Will counseling lose its effectiveness for people wanting to meet their counselor in person? In an office setting, a client gets the three dimensional view of interacting with their counselor as opposed to the one dimensional view in cyberspace. While the former can provide a warm environment by its smells, its touch, its sight, its taste, and personal connection from a caring professional, how can counselors make the latter similar and inviting?
Maybe a little bit of both is the answer as the client and the counselor can benefit and compromise from each domain. However, one greatest challenge facing the profession is the lack of insurance reimbursements for seeing clients through cyberspace. How many clients are willing to privately pay to engage in treatment over the internet? I am glad though that the profession has developed ethics and guidelines for internet therapy.
What do you think? Can you imagine conducting therapy through facebook and myspace? What will become of the profession in the next few years and decade?
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
http://www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com/
It is true that more and more people are using the internet for a variety of reasons. Some people find comfort in engaging in social networks such as facebook and myspace as a way of connecting with each other and meeting new people. Others enjoy participating in a variety of interactive computer games that can be discerning, particulary, for children and teens engaging in violent and competitive games with each other. The internet can also provide valuable educational opportunities for adults to take college classes online and to click on to other websites that can provide informal learning opportunities based upon an individual's interest area.
The question is "Will counseling lose its effectiveness for people wanting to meet their counselor in person? In an office setting, a client gets the three dimensional view of interacting with their counselor as opposed to the one dimensional view in cyberspace. While the former can provide a warm environment by its smells, its touch, its sight, its taste, and personal connection from a caring professional, how can counselors make the latter similar and inviting?
Maybe a little bit of both is the answer as the client and the counselor can benefit and compromise from each domain. However, one greatest challenge facing the profession is the lack of insurance reimbursements for seeing clients through cyberspace. How many clients are willing to privately pay to engage in treatment over the internet? I am glad though that the profession has developed ethics and guidelines for internet therapy.
What do you think? Can you imagine conducting therapy through facebook and myspace? What will become of the profession in the next few years and decade?
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
http://www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Support GHEA coverage for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
To all mental health professionals, please write to the following individual regarding their company's policies to reimburse licensed mental health counselors for counseling services under the Federal Employee Health Employment Program. Below is a suggested letter to be sent. Please feel free to add your own ideas or facts to GEHA. Please note that ideas and some wording for this letter was taken from a template that the American Mental Health Counselors Association sent to their members in the monthly newsletter, The Advocate, February 2009 edition.
Government Employee Health Association, Inc.
PO Box 4665
Independence, MO 64051
Dear GEHA:
I am writing as a licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts concerning the Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) refusal to reimburse the services of licensed mental health counselors under the Federal Employee Health Employment Program (FEHEP). I am requesting that GHEA modify its policies to include covering the services of mental health counselors in all your plans you currently offer. Below are three main points on why it important for GEHA to revise its policies:
1) Mental health counselors are professionals with at least a master's, advanced masters, or doctoral degree in counseling or a related discipline and are licensed in 49 states. Mental health counselors can independently diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders and practice in a variety of settings including community mental health centers, hospitals, managed behavioral health organizations, drug abuse treatment centers, employee assistance plans, and in private practice.
2) Clinical training for mental health counselors are comparable to training for other professions you currently reimburse, yet our rates are lower than our colleagues in the psychiatry, psychology, and social work professions. Mental health professionals provide cost-effective services and typically employ a short-term treatment perspective.
3) GHEA can obtain access to a network of quality mental health providers at affordable rates, helping to keep insurance rates down for the federal government and its employees.
I appreciate your consideration and look forward to a positive response.
Sincerely,
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Facilitator
www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com
Government Employee Health Association, Inc.
PO Box 4665
Independence, MO 64051
Dear GEHA:
I am writing as a licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts concerning the Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) refusal to reimburse the services of licensed mental health counselors under the Federal Employee Health Employment Program (FEHEP). I am requesting that GHEA modify its policies to include covering the services of mental health counselors in all your plans you currently offer. Below are three main points on why it important for GEHA to revise its policies:
1) Mental health counselors are professionals with at least a master's, advanced masters, or doctoral degree in counseling or a related discipline and are licensed in 49 states. Mental health counselors can independently diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders and practice in a variety of settings including community mental health centers, hospitals, managed behavioral health organizations, drug abuse treatment centers, employee assistance plans, and in private practice.
2) Clinical training for mental health counselors are comparable to training for other professions you currently reimburse, yet our rates are lower than our colleagues in the psychiatry, psychology, and social work professions. Mental health professionals provide cost-effective services and typically employ a short-term treatment perspective.
3) GHEA can obtain access to a network of quality mental health providers at affordable rates, helping to keep insurance rates down for the federal government and its employees.
I appreciate your consideration and look forward to a positive response.
Sincerely,
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Facilitator
www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Support Disabilities and Disparities in Health Care
I was invited as the Secretary for REDD (Rights, Equality for the Dignity of the Disabled) group to provide a testimony about our group's priorities to area state legislators at the Easter Seals Office in Worcester. For those who do not what REDD is or does, REDD is a group of volunteer advocates with/out disabilities dedicated to supporting and fighting for the civil rights for persons with disabilities in Central Massachusetts. Since REDD's inceptions in 1996, some of our accomplishments include getting accessible taxicabs in Worcester and extending the length of the platform at Union Station, so persons with disabilities would have access to more than two cars in boarding on and off the trains.
After I spoke about REDD's two priorities:Transportation and Emergency Preparedness, I changed hats as a private resident to speak about the proposed bill called "Disabilities and Disparities in Health Care," sponsored by Senator Richard Moore. The rationale for the bill is stated below. As a licensed mental health clinician, I support this bill as our profession needs to learn how to work and to counsel persons with disabilities. I said that the mental health profession is operating from the 1950's mode in how some clinicians inappropriately talk to this community. If Disabilities is included as a "minority group" with other ethnic groups, then the profession will learn more about this culture's health and behavioral needs on an equal footing along with these groups. I pushed for the profession to learn sensitivity training in how they counsel this community as it is badly needed and ignored.
The Disability Policy Consortium, a private entity that lobbies for specific causes across all disabilities, will be coming out with their own study on several health indicators such as "Smoking,"and "Behavioral Risk Factors," affecting these populations this year.
Bill: Disabilities and Disparities in Healthcare as posted on http://www.dpcma.org/. This bill is part of the Disability Policy Consortium's 2009-2010's Legislative Agenda:
Health Disparities Council
SECTION 1. Section 16O of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, 1as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after “HIV/AIDS”in line 8, the following: “disabilities”
Health Care Quality and Cost Council
SECTION 2. Section 16K of Chapter 6A of the General Laws is further amended by deleting 57 subsections (h) and (i) and replacing them with the following new language:
(h) The council, in consultation with its advisory committee, shall develop annual health care cost containment goals. The goals shall be designed to promote affordable, high-quality, safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable and patient centered health care. The council shall also establish goals that are intended to reduce health care disparities in racial, ethnic and disabled communities.
Contact: Shawn (SEN)" Shawn.Collins@state.ma.us
RATIONALE
While “Universal Health Care” has been the rallying cry of advocates for healthcare reform in Massachusetts, a quieter, but no less important focus has been on health care disparities. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts landmark healthcare reform legislation and the creation of the “Commonwealth Connector” extending health insurance to hundreds of thousand of more citizens has sharpened the national debate on Universal Health Care. Data on racial and cultural disparities along with advocacy on behalf of those who have clearly been racially, ethnically and culturally discriminated against by the previous healthcare and insurance system, helped to lay the foundation for healthcare reform.
The discussion of health care disparities has been limited to primarily to ethnicity, and race, issues that highlighted the efforts at healthcare reform.
The purpose of this paper is to show that the categories used to measure and discuss disparity in healthcare must be expanded to include people with disabilities.
It is the conclusion of the DPC that the discussion on disparities in health care must be changed to include people with disabilities. If, on the other hand, policy advocates choose to continue to focus solely on ethnic and racial factors, the title of the debate should be changed from “health care disparities” to “racism in the health care system."
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
After I spoke about REDD's two priorities:Transportation and Emergency Preparedness, I changed hats as a private resident to speak about the proposed bill called "Disabilities and Disparities in Health Care," sponsored by Senator Richard Moore. The rationale for the bill is stated below. As a licensed mental health clinician, I support this bill as our profession needs to learn how to work and to counsel persons with disabilities. I said that the mental health profession is operating from the 1950's mode in how some clinicians inappropriately talk to this community. If Disabilities is included as a "minority group" with other ethnic groups, then the profession will learn more about this culture's health and behavioral needs on an equal footing along with these groups. I pushed for the profession to learn sensitivity training in how they counsel this community as it is badly needed and ignored.
The Disability Policy Consortium, a private entity that lobbies for specific causes across all disabilities, will be coming out with their own study on several health indicators such as "Smoking,"and "Behavioral Risk Factors," affecting these populations this year.
Bill: Disabilities and Disparities in Healthcare as posted on http://www.dpcma.org/. This bill is part of the Disability Policy Consortium's 2009-2010's Legislative Agenda:
Health Disparities Council
SECTION 1. Section 16O of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, 1as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after “HIV/AIDS”in line 8, the following: “disabilities”
Health Care Quality and Cost Council
SECTION 2. Section 16K of Chapter 6A of the General Laws is further amended by deleting 57 subsections (h) and (i) and replacing them with the following new language:
(h) The council, in consultation with its advisory committee, shall develop annual health care cost containment goals. The goals shall be designed to promote affordable, high-quality, safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable and patient centered health care. The council shall also establish goals that are intended to reduce health care disparities in racial, ethnic and disabled communities.
Contact: Shawn (SEN)" Shawn.Collins@state.ma.us
RATIONALE
While “Universal Health Care” has been the rallying cry of advocates for healthcare reform in Massachusetts, a quieter, but no less important focus has been on health care disparities. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts landmark healthcare reform legislation and the creation of the “Commonwealth Connector” extending health insurance to hundreds of thousand of more citizens has sharpened the national debate on Universal Health Care. Data on racial and cultural disparities along with advocacy on behalf of those who have clearly been racially, ethnically and culturally discriminated against by the previous healthcare and insurance system, helped to lay the foundation for healthcare reform.
The discussion of health care disparities has been limited to primarily to ethnicity, and race, issues that highlighted the efforts at healthcare reform.
The purpose of this paper is to show that the categories used to measure and discuss disparity in healthcare must be expanded to include people with disabilities.
It is the conclusion of the DPC that the discussion on disparities in health care must be changed to include people with disabilities. If, on the other hand, policy advocates choose to continue to focus solely on ethnic and racial factors, the title of the debate should be changed from “health care disparities” to “racism in the health care system."
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Are Children being Overmedicated? What do you think?
Here are fews paragraphs from today's article from the Milford Post by Dr. Azerrad:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x1162817640/Azerrad-Too-young-for-adult-medicine
"By prescribing strong medicines instead of teaching children new choices using proven behavioral methods, we short-circuit a child's learning process and, even worse, lay the tracks for a lifetime habit of responding to challenge and disappointment with avoidance, denial and chemical dependency. Growing up is not a condition. Childhood is not a disease. Children act up and defy authority and they need adults to teach them how to manage difficult feelings and handle disappointment appropriately.There are ways for parents to do this that are quite effective and don't involve drugs, but they do involve parents being teachers. Our preschool children are far too young to defend themselves.It's up to parents to "say no to drugs" and teach their children that life is meant to be learned and experienced - it's not just a pill to be swallowed."
I agree with Dr.Azzard's view that most children's behaviors are rambunction, and are part of normal development. Also, I have seen a few kids whose behaviors are in the bi-polar range that do warrant medication but parents can learn parenting skills to manage these behaviors as well as applying similar techniques to manage their children's behaviors that don't need medication.Too often, over the years, I know of, and had some parents who play the medication card to apply for SSI. They have the mindset that because their child is behaving rambunctiously and they are having difficulties managing their behaviors, they learn from others in their environment how to apply for this "paycheck" to avoid working. I am appalled how some parents still refuse to apply the skills they learned in parenting classes or through FST programs after they are awarded a "SSI" check. The motivation goes down to "zero" in terms of continuing counseling with their clinician. What needs to be done to resolve this problem?
A study needs to be done to correlate SSI applications with the first counseling appointments throughout the state. Clinics need to be more assertive in asking if parents are coming to counseling and medication appointments to get a SSI check only. If this is the case, then clinics need to be more proactive in educating the families that getting SSI only, does not solve their child's behavioral problems. Massachusetts is behind the times in thinking parenting is a "right" due to the DNA, not true. If laws were passed to require parenting classes and psychological evaluations for at-risk parents,like they are for adoptive parents, then maybe the statistics for children taking medications for behavior would decline.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Citizen-Therapist
Faciltiator
http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x1162817640/Azerrad-Too-young-for-adult-medicine
"By prescribing strong medicines instead of teaching children new choices using proven behavioral methods, we short-circuit a child's learning process and, even worse, lay the tracks for a lifetime habit of responding to challenge and disappointment with avoidance, denial and chemical dependency. Growing up is not a condition. Childhood is not a disease. Children act up and defy authority and they need adults to teach them how to manage difficult feelings and handle disappointment appropriately.There are ways for parents to do this that are quite effective and don't involve drugs, but they do involve parents being teachers. Our preschool children are far too young to defend themselves.It's up to parents to "say no to drugs" and teach their children that life is meant to be learned and experienced - it's not just a pill to be swallowed."
I agree with Dr.Azzard's view that most children's behaviors are rambunction, and are part of normal development. Also, I have seen a few kids whose behaviors are in the bi-polar range that do warrant medication but parents can learn parenting skills to manage these behaviors as well as applying similar techniques to manage their children's behaviors that don't need medication.Too often, over the years, I know of, and had some parents who play the medication card to apply for SSI. They have the mindset that because their child is behaving rambunctiously and they are having difficulties managing their behaviors, they learn from others in their environment how to apply for this "paycheck" to avoid working. I am appalled how some parents still refuse to apply the skills they learned in parenting classes or through FST programs after they are awarded a "SSI" check. The motivation goes down to "zero" in terms of continuing counseling with their clinician. What needs to be done to resolve this problem?
A study needs to be done to correlate SSI applications with the first counseling appointments throughout the state. Clinics need to be more assertive in asking if parents are coming to counseling and medication appointments to get a SSI check only. If this is the case, then clinics need to be more proactive in educating the families that getting SSI only, does not solve their child's behavioral problems. Massachusetts is behind the times in thinking parenting is a "right" due to the DNA, not true. If laws were passed to require parenting classes and psychological evaluations for at-risk parents,like they are for adoptive parents, then maybe the statistics for children taking medications for behavior would decline.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Citizen-Therapist
Faciltiator
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