APA’s Government, Policy, and Advocacy Update (January 2022)

APA, Partners Detail Year-End Requests to Congressional Leadership

In December, APA and its partner organizations, collectively known as the Group of Six, sent a letter to House and Senate leaders requesting action on several proposals to ensure patients have access to quality and affordable health care. The letter was addressed to Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).

The Group of Six includes APA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association.

The letter outlines numerous actions that the groups urged Congress to take, including the following:

• Avert cuts to Medicare physician payments.

• Senate passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (HR 3173), which the House already passed. The legislation would standardize and streamline the prior authorization approval process in the Medicare Advantage program.

• Extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities through at least 2024, including coverage for audio-only services, to ensure Medicare beneficiaries can continue to access virtual care.

• Extend funding for the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education program.

Additionally, the letter outlined numerous actions Congress should take to address the mental health and substance use disorder crisis. The Group of Six urged Congress to promote the integration of mental health services with primary care, strengthen the mental health workforce by increasing funding for graduate medical education, increase funding to community health and mental health centers to enhance prevention and early intervention, and enforce the federal mental health parity law.

APA Sends Letter Supporting Bill To Address Children’s Mental Health

In a letter, APA and its partner organizations expressed support for the Investing in Kids’ Mental Health Now Act (S. 4747), introduced by Sens. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). The bill would incentivize states to increase Medicaid reimbursement for pediatric mental health and substance use disorder treatment services, providing direct support to the pediatric mental health workforce and improving access to children’s mental health care.

“Medicaid is the single largest payer of children’s mental health services in the United States, yet states often struggle to maintain an adequate network due to lower reimbursement rates for pediatric mental and behavioral services and an ongoing shortage of pediatric mental health professionals,” the letter stated. “These longstanding issues translate to delayed access to mental health care for children covered by Medicaid across the country.” ■