Current Medicare regulations prevent Medicare beneficiaries from receiving mental health services from highly qualified Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. In rural areas, Medicare beneficiaries may wait months to gain access to mental health services with a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker.
We encourage the Obama administration to work together with congress to make mental health access for Medicare beneficiaries a priority for 2015, by expanding services to include licensed counselors.