GET INVOLVED! EVERY VOICE COUNTS!!
In April 2009, LAMFT along with the other divisions of AAMFT spent time in Washington, D.C. meeting with legislators and discussing the concerns of Marriage and Family Therapists in the United States and how we – as professionals – are ready, willing, and able to do what we love doing: working with individual, couples, and families.
We already know that MFTs were not successful at inclusion in S. 310 of the Medicare legislation, and while that was disappointing to say the least – what we need to remind ourselves is that THE word is out with respect to the profession and what we are qualified to do.
Representatives on the state and national levels know who we are and what we do! Now is not the time to just sit back and think, “Oh well, we tried!” Rather it is the time to say, “Yes, we did our best! We will continue to do our best and next time, be successful!” As many of you are aware, MFTs are recognized by the HRSA as one of the five core mental health care providers. Because licensure is still relatively new, it is imperative that we all do our part by educating people as to who we are and what we do. We need to continue to educate the public, potential employers, insurance companies, government officials, anyone and everyone — if not for yourself, then for future generations of MFTs.
This has been an exciting time for MFTs in Louisiana. Because of the recent licensing efforts, almost 1300 MFT licensees and MFT interns have been recorded by the LA LPC Board! If you would like more information about legislation, visit: http://www.legis.state.la.us. Click on Division News (to your left) for the most current information.
PAC FUND
If you would like to make a contribution to the PAC (Political Action Committee) Fund, please send a check or money order made payable to LAMFT PAC Fund, c/o Dr. Christian Dean, cdean@lamft.org
‘Making HIPAA Happen’
Louisiana has a link to an overview of HIPAA regulations, entitled ‘Making HIPAA Happen’ http://www.dhh.state.la.us/HIPAA/OMHversion.pdf and a website that details ‘Making HIPAA Happen’ http://www.dhh.state.la.us/HIPAA/index2.htm
Federal Legislative Alerts:
Use the link below to visit the AAMFT website to get the latest information on federal advocacy issues and alerts.
http://www.aamft.org/Advocacy/index_m.asp
Act Now to Get MFT’s into Medicare
Issue:
PHONE CALLS to your Senator or Representative are NEEDED IMMEDIATELY to show support for including MFTs in Medicare. Your Senator or Representative (listed below) sits on the Conference Committee that will make this critical decision and we need you to ACT NOW. For a complete list of contact numbers for the Senators and Representatives, go to http://www.house.gov/.
Background:
The United States Senate recently passed the Prescription Drug And Medicare
Improvement Act of 2003 which included a provision making Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Professional Counselors eligible providers for the Medicare program. The Medicare Prescription Drug bill that passed the House of Representatives did not contain this provision. All differences between the two bills – including inclusion of MFT’s and LPC’s – will be worked out in a Conference Committee, where a small number of Senators and Representatives will determine whether our provision remains in the bill or
is eliminated. You are a constituent of a Member of this Conference Committee and as a result your voice is of crucial importance.
Phone:
1) Your Senator or Representative and the phone number for their Washington D.C. office is included above. When your call is answered, ask to speak to the staff person who handles health issues.
2) Phone message-
As a constituent and Marriage and Family Therapist, I urge you to support the Conference Committee on the Medicare Prescription Drug bills the provision in the Senate bill that includes Marriage and Family Therapists in the Medicare program. This is crucial for access to mental health services in rural and underserved areas. Please support Medicare coverage of Marriage & Family Therapists by co-sponsoring the bipartisan “Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act,” S 784 and HR 1447. I also urge you to support including marriage and family therapist Medicare coverage in any bill considered by Congress to deal with other Medicare problems.
We cannot stress enough the importance of the timing of your communications. It is critically important that your Senator hears from you during the next 30 days while the provisions of this bill are being actively negotiated. Please e-mail an update of your actions to rmckeon@aamft.org.
Each and every voice counts!! Please have your voice heard! Act today!
* Senator Mary Landrieu – (202) 224-5824
* Senator David Vitter – (202) 224-4623
* Rep. William Jefferson – (202) 225-6636
* Rep. Jim McCrery – (202) 225-2777 or (318) 798-2254
If you have any questions or would like to know what you can do to help, send an email to any to the LAMFT Legislative Committee: Dr. Jana Sutton, Dr. Lamar Woodham, Dr. Walker Marsh, and Bill Riddle.
LEGISLATION AND POLICY
NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER (NPI) INFORMATION
All Health Care Providers Must Have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) Number
Family Therapist Policy Connector
Family Therapist Policy Connector is a quarterly Web-based newsletter is designed for those Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) who are passionate about legislatively promoting their profession at the federal, state, and/or local levels; a.k.a. – YOU! This publication is written in the spirit of keeping AAMFT advocates highly informed and engaged in ground-level activism. The more plugged-into the system you are, the better the opportunity for successful activities on behalf of your MFT policy interests.
To access this publication please go to: www.aamft.org/policyconnector.asp, log in and enjoy!
