Medicare clients are turned away from substance use disorder treatment or are serviced for free because they can't access therapy with a counselor who is also a Medicare provider. The Medicare system has historically only accepted and reimbursed services of master’s level clinicians who are licensed social workers.   There are a large number of qualified clinical professionals with equal, or additional, qualifications to treat substance use and other co-occurring mental health disorders, that cannot bill Medicare. Medicare reimbursement policies must be modified.  There is a current bill that can solve this problem, but it needs your help to move forward.

The "Medicare for America Act" was sent to the House in May of 2019 and then to the judiciary committee on 5/31/19. It now needs to get out of committee, get drafted to include language allowing MLADCs and LCMHCs to be reimbursed for Medicare, and sent to the Senate.  Call or write your Congressperson.

The Addiction Treatment Access Act does make changes and is in front of the Senate, as of August of 2019. It is currently in the committee on finance. We have to see some movement.  Please call or write your senator.

Ask them to help get these bills pushed through and support them becoming law.  

Congresswoman Annie Kuster https://kuster.house.gov/contact/offices

Congressman Chris Pappas https://pappas.house.gov/contact

Senator Jeanne Shaheen https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/

Senator Maggie Hassan https://www.hassan.senate.gov/contact