Take Action – Ask Your Senators to Vote for S. 3335 on the Floor

The U.S. Senate may consider legislation to improve insurance coverage for mental health and addiction treatment as early as tomorrow, Tuesday, July 29. Please phone your Senators with the quick message below urging them to support this critical mental health and addictions treatment legislation.

Background:
The Senate leadership has added the mental health parity bill for private insurance negotiated between the House and the Senate to another bill, S. 3335, an unrelated tax extenders package. Please contact your Senators and ask them to vote yes on S. 3335 when it comes to the floor of the Senate.

Action Requested:
NASW members should telephone both of their Senators to urge they pass S. 3335, including the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 (S. 558). Click on take action above. You will be directed to a page where you can� enter your zip code into a box� to be directed to the phone numbers for your Senators. We are targeting all members of the Senate with the following message:
“I am a constituent, professional social worker and member of the National Association of Social Workers. The Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 (S. 558) will provide critical health care protection for 113 million Americans. Please vote for S. 3335, the tax extenders package, which includes this vital mental health legislation.� The Senate must pass lifesaving mental health and addiction parity legislation included in the bill before the August recess.”

Thank you for supporting this critical piece of NASW’s legislative agenda.

Colleagues,

NASW is pleased to forward this notice regarding an historic milestone for the profession.� The US House Healthy Families and Communities Sub-committee of the Health and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, July 29, 3:00pm EDST, Room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building.� The hearing is entitled, “Caring for the Vulnerable:� The State of Social Work in America.”�

We understand the hearing room can accommodate a large audience, so you are welcome to attend.� The hearing will also be archived on the web at:� http://edlabor.house.gov/committee/hearingsbycommittee.shtml.� You may find the committee website of interest at http://edlabor.house.gov/

We hope you can join us.

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2008

Washington—In a milestone victory, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) commends the U.S. Senate and House for overriding President Bush’s veto of the Medicare legislation, H.R. 6331, restoring funding for clinical social work payments cut in 2007 and greatly improving coverage of outpatient psychotherapy services. The final House vote on the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was 383 to 41 and 70 to 26 in the Senate. Numerous Republicans joined united Democrats in overriding the veto.

“NASW is thrilled that mental services are finally receiving full recognition by this Congress,” noted Dr. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of NASW.� “We thank the thousands of NASW advocates who contacted their Senators and Representatives to support passage of the bill.”

The new law contains a rate increase for psychotherapy services cut in 2007. � The Medicare package was designed primarily to halt a scheduled 10.6% cut in all Part B provider payment rates, but the new law also contains little noticed mental health coverage improvements. Among these are a rate increase for clinical social workers billing Part B and a critical Medicare coinsurance parity provision that reduces beneficiary cost-sharing by 5% per year from 50% currently down to 20% in 2014 – reaching full parity with other Medicare outpatient benefits. This is a crucial legislative goal long sought by NASW and other mental health groups.

“Given strong pressure from the White House to narrow the bill, this is a huge victory for clinical social workers and psychologists who worked hard to restore psychotherapy rates in Medicare,” says Jim Finley, NASW lobbyist.� “The sentiment of mental health advocates on final passage was exuberant, as this is a major victory on Medicare’s outpatient mental health benefit.”

Clinical social worker and psychology rates will increase for psychotherapy and related services by 5% (adding $45 million in new spending) for 18 months from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. This psychotherapy rate increase is above the rate given to other medical services under Part B, which all clinicians, including social workers will receive.

The law also provides for Medicare coinsurance parity on mental health services, reducing beneficiaries’ copayments by 5% per year, reducing the rate from 50% to 45% in 2009 and finally reaching 20% in 2014 – achieving full parity with Medicare outpatient benefits. This legislative goal has been supported by NASW and other mental health advocates since Medicare was enacted in 1965. In addition, the law postpones a rate cut for 18 months beginning July 1, 2008 and increases payments for all providers by 1.1% for 2009, including clinical social workers participating in Part B.

Contact: Allison Nadelhaft
202-336-8228
anadelhaft@naswdc.org

Theresa Spinner
202-408-8600 x468
tspinner@naswdc.org

Take� Action!

In a beginning victory for the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative, the U.S. Senate passed Medicare legislation, H.R. 6331, which will restore funding for clinical social work payments cut in 2007. The vote was 69-30 thanks to the return of Senator Ted Kennedy (MA), whose vote swayed a number of members to create a veto-proof margin. Thank you to everyone who sent letters to your Senators to help ensure passage of this important piece of legislation.

This year’s Medicare package was designed primarily to halt the scheduled 10.6% cut in all Part B provider payment rates. The legislation would postpone the cut for 18 months, beginning July 1, 2008 and increase payments for all providers by 1.1% for 2009, including clinical social workers participating in Part B. In addition to the 1.1% increase in 2009, clinical social workers would receive an increase of 5% (effective July 1, 2008) above those of other providers. In addition, the bill contains a Medicare coinsurance parity provision, reducing beneficiaries’ copayments by 5% per year from 50% in 2009 to 20% in 2014 – at full parity with medical and surgical benefits. This is a crucial legislative goal long sought by NASW.

Reports are that President Bush will veto the bill and urge Senators to not override his veto.� Contact President Bush today to urge him to sign this legislation.

Message: I am writing as a constituent, professional social worker, and member of the National Association of Social Workers. I urge you to sign the Medicare Bill (HR. 6331). This bill includes vital improvements to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to high-quality mental health care. The bill is especially important for the Medicare beneficiaries I serve, as it restores funding for clinical social work payments cut in 2007. This cut has placed the Medicare mental health benefit at risk and addressing it must be a top priority in any Medicare legislation this year. I also am pleased the bill finally treats mental health coverage equally with other medical benefits, providing Medicare coinsurance parity and halting the scheduled 10.6% cut for all outpatient provider payments. Please vote to pass H.R. 6331. It will make a real difference for the beneficiaries I serve.�

For more information on this issue, go to:� http://capwiz.com/socialworkers/issues/alert/?alertid=11549951