AAMFT continues to monitor federal legislation and policies that affect the marriage and family therapy profession. We have made significant progress in raising the recognition of MFTs as qualified mental health care providers at the federal level. For recent updates on advocacy initiatives, please take a look at our Advocacy Blog. If federal and/or state MFT advocacy is of interest to you, consider joining the Family TEAM, AAMFT’s grassroots advocacy network.
Our top federal priority is including MFTs as Medicare Part B providers. Currently, MFTs, as well as licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), are not eligible for reimbursement as Medicare providers. As these two professions make up over 40% of the behavioral healthcare workforce, this issue severely limits mental, behavioral, and emotional healthcare access, especially in workforce shortage areas and rural areas. We are actively advocating for legislation to address this problem. If you haven’t already, please contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support MFTs in Medicare. Take Action here.
In addition to advocating for MFT Medicare inclusion, AAMFT also:
- Supports the hiring of MFTs in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
- Ensures the continued funding of the Minority Fellowship Program.
- Advocates for mental health parity at the federal level, as well as the inclusion of MFTs in favorable mental health care legislation.
- Works with coalition partners to improve mental health care in the United States on both the provider and consumer side.
If you have any questions about advocacy, whether state, provincial or federal, please email FamilyTEAM@aamft.org.
Federal Recognition of MFTs