Please see below for a statement from the ACA regarding older Americans with Medicare and their access to counselors:

“The American Counseling Association is proud of the work we have done along with our partners to bring access to Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors (LPMHC) to our nation’s older Americans and those that are disabled and utilize Medicare.

Now that President Biden, who was supportive of this bill throughout 2022, has signed the bill into law, the focus is on successful implementation of the program. This law will allow over 200,000 mental health professionals to enroll as Medicare providers. For clients, this means continuity of care once they reach the age of 65, as well as additional options for providers that suit their needs. The current trend across the nation is that an increased amount of mental health professionals that are not LPMHCs are no longer accepting Medicare. With counselors being able to be providers, we expect a minimum of 115,000 to enroll in the program; increasing access to care from sea to shining sea.

This is an exciting time! Counselors, as well as clients of counselors, can count on ACA to keep them informed, over the next year, on how to prepare to accept Medicare in January of 2024. Please view ACA’s FAQ document, and if you have any additional questions, reach out to us at advocacy@counseling.org.”

More information can be found here.