Advocacy

Learn about legislative issues and advocacy efforts important to professional psychology including reimbursement, Medicare, scope of practice, health information technology, mental health parity.

• Joint letter from the APA and the APA Practice Organization sent on Sept. 20, 2018, to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Paul Ryan, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to convey recommendations for legislation to address the nation's opioid epidemic (PDF, 66KB), for consideration in reconciling the bills passed by the House and Senate.
• Joint letter from the APA and the APA Practice Organization (PDF, 57KB) to Senate Finance Committee on the bipartisan opioid package.
• Joint letter from the APA and the APA Practice Organization to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sharing comments and concerns about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (PDF, 76KB).
• Joint letter from the APA and the APA Practice Organization to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden expressing strong opposition to repealing the individual health insurance coverage mandate as part of tax reform legislation (PDF, 92KB).
• Joint letter from the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG) sent Sept. 19, 2017 (PDF, 307KB) to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate minority leader Charles Schumer concerning the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson health care proposal.  
• A letter from the APA Practice Organization sent June 13, 2017 (PDF, 95KB), to Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, director of the Defense Health Agency, regarding the proposed reimbursement rate cuts by Humana and Health Net Federal Services for TRICARE mental health providers.

• New Bill Would Add Psychologists to 'Physician' Definition
  The Medicare Mental Health Access Act would remove physician oversight of psychological services in Medicare.
• Passage of the act would provide better, faster access to psychologists for Medicare recipients who need their services.

• Health Care Reform
• Medicare Reimbursement & Access
• Mental Health Parity
• Prescriptive Authority
• State Advocacy

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