INSIDE AMHCA
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department visits , consumers receive surprise medical bills due to receiving care from providers who are out-of-network .
Additionally , 9 – 16 percent of in-network , non-emergency hospitalizations result in surprise medical bills from out-ofnetwork providers .
To prevent such surprise bills , Congress passed the No Surprises Act ( NSA ) in December 2020 . However , essential rules related to the legislation were not published until Sept . 30 , 2021 , ( three months before the law took effect on Jan . 1 , 2022 ), sparking a frenzy among health care professionals across the country .
Unfortunately , clinical mental health counselors ( CMHCs ), though not part of the problem the bill seeks to remedy , have been caught in the dragnet . CMHCs who mostly provide private-pay services , often to avoid the obstacles associated with managed care , are particularly impacted the new law .
Among other requirements , NSA obligates CMHCs to :
• Specifically ask clients whether they have insurance and , if so , whether they intend to use it ( even if the CMHC doesn ’ t accept insurance ),
• Inform all uninsured or self-pay clients of the availability of a goodfaith estimate of expected charges ,
• Display a notice about good-faith estimate rights in their office and on their websites , and
• Provide a written good faithestimate to clients :
Within one business day if the client ’ s appointment is threeto-nine business days away ,
Within three business days if the client ’ s appointment is 10 or more business days away , and
Within three business days if an uninsured person ( who would be a self-pay client ) requests a good-faith estimate .
CMHCs may have to refund clients if they end up charging $ 400 or more than originally quoted in a good-faith estimate , and CMHCs can also be penalized for not complying with the appropriate provision of good-faith estimates and related notices .
AMHCA and other associations ( e . g ., American Counseling Association [ ACA ], American Psychological Association [ APA ], TrustPARMA ) have provided several resources that CMHCs can use to ensure compliance with the new law , such as :
• A video on “ The Counselor ’ s Guide to Complying with the No Surprises Act ” at www . youtube . com / watch ? v = Y3FHjn5HNQI ( download handouts at integritycounseling . app . box . com / v / No-Surprises-Act )
• AMHCA ’ s Jan . 27 , 2022 , webinar on the NSA , which features Aaron Norton , PhD , LMHC , LMFT , and Becky Beaton-York , PhD , LPC , NCC , CPCS . ( Click the link on the YouTube video of the hour-long discussion at www . amhca . org / advocacy / takeaction .)
• ACA FAQ for Private Practitioners : bit . ly / 3uRAbGS
• APA article : “ New Billing Disclosure Requirements Take Effect in 2022 ,” at bit . ly / 3Kd21nz
• TrustPARMA article : “ Guidance on the No Surprises Act ( NSA ),” bit . ly / 38zspdr
AMHCA Issues a Statement on the Invasion of Ukraine
AMHCA issued a statement condemning Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine on March 4 , 2022 . Signed by Dr . Beverly Smith ,
AMHCA ’ s president and interim CEO , the statement began by noting that , “ As proponents of civil rights and social justice for humankind , AMHCA denounces the violence erupting from the invasion in Ukraine .”
“ The mental health of the Ukrainians undoubtedly has been affected despite their resiliency ,” the statement says . “ While the Ukrainian people have shown immense strength and resilience during this time , these events will have a long-lasting impact on their physical , spiritual , and mental health . AMHCA joins many other organizations in calling for an end to the violent and senseless attacks .”
The statement was accompanied by links to resources related to the war in Ukraine as well as several humanitarian organizations :
• White House fact sheet on the response to the invasion by the U . S . and its allies : bit . ly / 3qFA3ca
• A U . S . Department of Justice report on a violation of Crimearelated sanctions : bit . ly / 3JNMcU7
• An article in The Guardian on the war in Ukraine : bit . ly / 3LlsUpn
• A TIME magazine article about Ukranian refugees and racism : bit . ly / 3DkS6d0
• International Rescue Committee : www . rescue . org /
• International Committee of the Red Cross : bit . ly / 3j75kk3
• Voices of Children : voices . org . ua / en
• UNICEF : uni . cf / 3r78Wal
• USA for UNHCR : www . unrefugees . org
• Save the Children : www . savethechildren . org /
Read the full AMHCA statement online at bit . ly / 3uwBjzu .
The 7Advocate The Advocate Magazine Magazine 2022 , Issue 2022 # 1 , Issue American # 1 American Mental Health Mental Counselors Health Counselors Association Association ( AMHCA )( AMHCA www ). amhca www . org . amhca 7. org