Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2015 (S.2173/H.R. 3712)
As you may have noticed, I have diligently avoided politics in this blog. Every now and then, however, a social or professional issue wanders into the arena of politics, and I cannot completely ignore the issue.
THE ISSUE
The Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2015 needs the support of the entire social work profession. This bill, introduced last year by Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Barbara Lee, seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act by changing a small amount of critical reimbursement wording that was included in the original bill.
The amended wording will:
- Align Medicare payments for clinical social workers with that of other non-physician health care providers, such as nurse practitioners and nursing assistants, by increasing the reimbursement rate from 75% to 85%.
- Eliminate restrictions on the delivery of LCSW services for Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities and hospitals.
- Expand the statutory definition of LCSW services to include all psychotherapy services (including Health and Behavior Assessment and intervention services).
THE EFFECT
The new payment structure and change in reimbursements for clinical social workers at skilled nursing facilities will encourage trained and licensed professionals to care for more seniors in their communities. The legislation will also give older Americans, no matter where they live, access to the full range of behavioral assessment and intervention services that clinical social workers provide.
WHY ADVOCATE
I am aware that this bill may seem rather a minor issue to cause me to break my firm "no politics" rule. However, let's take a little closer look at how Licensed Clinical Social Workers help the elderly.
LCSWs are uniquely qualified to deal with issues involving the mental and emotional health of the aged. They must first obtain a Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology, Sociology or Social Work. Then they must earn an MSW and complete extensive supervised clinical experience before taking their Social Work Licensure exam.
This training makes LCSWs critical caregivers for the elderly. Over the past 30 years, psychotropic medication has become the primary treatment for emotional distress, recommended by primary care physicians and insurers. The LCSW's use of advanced assessment techniques, interventions, and psychotherapy is re-establishing these techniques as a fundamental part of the way emotional disorders are treated in the elderly. LCSWs have reawakened in the medical community the realization that the mental and emotional problems that seniors struggle with are not simply the common symptoms of aging, but are treatable individual disorders not unlike the disorders found in all age groups.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE WORK OF LCSWs
By supporting The Improving Access to Mental Care Act of 2015 you are asking your congressman or representative to recognize the essential contribution that the LCSW makes to the mental and emotional well-being of our elderly population. These mental health professionals must be treated with parity in order to insure their effectiveness in, and commitment to, this critical area of aged care.
