ACA News

ACA Attends the Inaugural HHS 'Music is Medicine' Event

This week, the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy team attended the inaugural Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 'Music is Medicine' event. 

Labor HHS Releases Report Which Includes Billions in Mental Health Provisions

Recently, the House Appropriations Committee released the report for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024 (L-HHS), which includes $2.7 billion for SAMHSA mental health activities and programs.

Senate Finance Legislation May Expand Mental Health Care

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), released a set of policies aimed at expanding mental health care under Medicaid and Medicare, in addition to lowering prescription drug cost for seniors.

The Debt Ceiling Bill Passage May Impact Mental Health Care

On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed H.R. 3476, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. Most people know this act as the debt ceiling bill. The American Counseling Association previously reported the impact that this compromise bill between ...

Debt Ceiling Negotiations May Impact Counselors and their Clients

Currently in Congress negotiations continue around the nation's debt ceiling. As a professional counselor you may wonder how and if the negotiations in Congress may affect you, as well as what exactly the debt ceiling is. The debt ceiling is a limit ...

White House: Black Maternal Health Week Proclamation

The White House signed a Proclamation for Black Maternal Health Week for April 11-17th. In the document, the Administration highlights the disparities among black mothers including the high mortality rate and decrease in maternal mental ...

Counselor Advocacy Matters to Medicare Reimbursement Success

 On Thursday, September 22, the American Counseling Association shared the promising news that the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee voted to move the House version of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (H.R. 432) to full ...

Federal Government Awards $1.6 Billion for Communities Addressing Addiction and Overdose

Last week, the Biden Administration awarded $1.6 billion in funding to address the nation’s worsening addiction and overdose crisis. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services ...

ACA Meets with White House Administration on Protecting Counselor Rights

Following the United States Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade (via Dobbs v. Jackson), the American Counseling Association (ACA) issued a statement in opposition of the ruling. This statement focused on the need to protect Licensed ...

988 Suicide Prevention Hotline Operational

Beginning on July 16th, 2022, the 988 Hotline began rolling out, connecting individuals experiencing a mental health crisis to trained mental health professionals. In 2020, Congress passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (S.2661) ...

The White House Signs the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

On June 25th, the White House signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S.2938), ending the thirty-year deadlock on gun reform legislation. In an effort to reduce mass casualties as a result of recent gun misuse, the Senate introduced a bipartisan ...

HHS Offers Guidance of Audio-Only Telehealth

On  Tuesday, June 14th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), issued guidance on how covered healthcare providers and health plans can use remote communication technologies to ...

U.S. Senate Holds Hearing on Mental Health Care for Older Adults

On May 19, 2022, the U.S Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing titled, “Mental Health Care for Older Adults: Raising Awareness, Addressing Stigma, and Providing Support.” During this hearing, Committee Chairman Bob Casey and ...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Invests $25 Million in School-Based Mental Health Services

On May 3rd, 2022, HHS announced, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program, its’ expansion of investment towards strengthening partnerships between schools and health centers. To do so, HHS ...

House and Senate Appropriations Committees Introduce FY 2022 Omnibus Package

On March 9, 2022, the House and Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of the omnibus spending package, which contains all 12 fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills, totaling more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding through ...

House Ways & Means Committee Holds Hearing on America's Mental Health Crisis

On February 2, 2022, the House Ways & Means Committee conducted a hearing entitled “America’s Mental Health Crisis,” during which the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S.828/ H.R. 432) was mentioned. ...

HHS Announces $13M Grant to Increase Behavioral Health Care Access in Rural Communities

On January 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of $13 million in funding to increase access to behavioral health care services ...

$103M Awarded to 45 Grantees through Biden-Harris Administration American Rescue Plan Funds to Promote Mental Health and Wellness Among Health Care Workers

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced $103 million in awards to 45 grantees to increase the retention and boost staffing of health care workers in the U.S. These multi-year awards, which were secured by funding ...

Senate Finance Committee Receives 321 Public Responses to Barriers to Mental Health Care for Counselors

Senate Finance Committee press release, titled ?Wyden, Crapo Welcome Input on Addressing the Mental Health Care Crisis," highlights the 321 public responses to the initiative, including a letter from the American Counseling Association advocating for ...

Senate Finance Committee Receives 321 Public Responses to Barriers to Mental Health Care for Counselors

Senate Finance Committee press release, titled ?Wyden, Crapo Welcome Input on Addressing the Mental Health Care Crisis," highlights the 321 public responses to the initiative, including a letter from the American Counseling Association advocating for ...