Advocacy Alerts!

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FEDERAL UPDATES FROM THE ACA:

• Impact of the "Big Beautiful Bill" on Counselors and Clients

  • Work requirement added for Medicaid recipients, 80/hrs per month. There are exemptions for care-takers, students, volunteers and those with a disability. 

  • Concerns about additional paperwork required to monitor this requirement and creating additional barriers to coverage. 

  • Introduction of provider tax caps = less money to states for Medicaid. States will now have to evaluate how to cut or alter their Medicaid budgets which may result in lower reimbursements, less services covered, changes to requirements for Medicaid coverage, etc. 

  • Taxes on educational endowments

  • Limitations to student loan borrowing for graduate students

  • Student Loan changes 

  • Approximately 11 million individuals will lose Medicaid coverage 

  • Full outline here:  The Impact of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ on Counselors and Mental Health Care

• 3-Year anniversary of 988 - 24/7 Suicide Hotline 

  • Federal deletion of "option 3" (LGBTQ) 

  • ACA Advocacy Campaign:  American Counseling Association | Support the LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Lifeline

  • Seen as a test for future DHHS cuts 

• Counselors being excluded from grants through Department of Education

STATE UPDATES:

• Counseling Compact expected to be operational by early Fall 2025. Stay updated at counselingcompact.org and compactconnect.org. 

  • 38 States Enacted

  • Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and New Mexico are pending. 

  • Illinois is not planning to re-introduce compact legislation at this time. 

  • SHARE Act introduced in congress in an attempt to improve data security and data sharing. 

  • Some concerns over practitioners providing services in other states that are legal in their home state (e.g., gender affirming care, abortion counseling, etc.); the compact cannot provide protections for these providers. All practitioners must follow the laws of states they are practicing in, regardless of home state legalities. Most states will require a jurisprudence exam to obtain a privilege to practice, the list of those states can be found here:  Jurisprudence Requirements – Counseling Compact. 

• ACA Spotlight on States October 29, 2025, More Info to Come

• ACA Hill Day October 21-22, 2025:  Home - 2025 Hill Day 

• 16 States have introduced a lawsuit against the US Department of Education for cuts to school-based mental health; Case will be heard in Washington. 

• ACA is urging congress to support the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, an attempt to combat wide-spread use of Conversion Therapy. Campaign:  American Counseling Association | Oppose Conversion Therapy. Seeks to make the business of conversion therapy illegal through the exchange of funds. The practice of conversion therapy is regulated by state. A conversion therapy ban is under threat of repeal in Columbia, SC on July 25, 2025, more info here:  Facing loss of millions in state aid, Columbia council votes to repeal 'conversion therapy' ban • SC Daily Gazette

• Insurance Parity Resources & Support:  Insurance Parity Resources - Government Affairs and Public Policy. 

• Concerns about higher-paying insurance companies phasing out mental health coverage, precedent is being set in Kentucky, Indiana and Maryland. Concerns about lowering reimbursement rates for providers and creating barriers to access. 

SPORTS COUNSELING - We are very close to getting the "Southeast Division of Sport & Performance Counseling" up and running! Dr. David Schary has drafted the by-laws for this division which will be up for discussion and approval at one of the next board meetings.

SCCA is also looking to become a credentialed provider through the SC Department of Ed for teacher renewal credits, we are looking to 1) host a virtual workshop in the summer, and 2) attend the SC Education + Business Summit (SCEBS) with a breakout session and exhibitor table. The deadline for the SCEBS is May 01, approval for this venture and funding will be up for discussion at the board meeting.