Washington
DC Office
307 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-6441
Fax: 202-224-1724
Wyoming Office
P.O. Box 22201
Casper, WY 82602
307-261-6413
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Contact: Cameron Hardy
202-224-6441 |
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Thomas’ Rural Health Bill Passes Senate
Senior’s Mental Health Access Improvement Act adopted as amendment |
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November 4th, 2005 - WASHINGTON – In a victory for rural health access, a U.S. Senator Craig Thomas bill to improve senior’s mental health access passed the Senate last night.
“Wyoming has one of the fastest-growing aging populations in the country. Rural communities face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining providers – particularly mental health professionals. These two factors contribute significantly to a growing rural health problem,” Thomas said.
“One-fifth of all rural counties have no mental health services of any kind. This bill takes a first step toward improving access for seniors.”
“This gives folks in smaller Wyoming communities more options and expanded access to mental health services. Providers like these are an integral part of improving rural health access around the state,” Thomas said.
Thomas introduced the Senior’s Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2005 in April. The bill allows additional mental health providers in the nation and in Wyoming to bill Medicare for their services.
Currently, the only mental health providers allowed to bill Medicare are psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and clinical nurse specialists. This expands the coverage to allow marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and licensed professional counselors (LPCs) to bill Medicare for their services.
Often, MFTs and LPCs are the only mental health providers available in underserved rural and frontier areas. There is a higher rate of depression and suicide in rural areas, which disproportionately affects our elderly populations.
Wyoming has 174 psychologists, 37 psychiatrists, and 263 clinical social workers for a total of 474 Medicare eligible mental health providers.
Enacting the Thomas bill doubles the number of mental health providers available to seniors in Wyoming, with the addition of 528 LPCs and 61 MFTs currently licensed to practice in the state.
“Folks in Wyoming’s small towns already travel long distances to receive care, with additional practitioners available, access should be a little closer to home,” Thomas said.
The legislation has the support of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Association of Mental Health Counselors, the American Counseling Association, the Wyoming Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
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