Alberta
There are three key new developments from Alberta. First, we have done an extensive package (thanks to our Public Education Committee) on accessing a psychologist. This includes a video, infographic, and small booklet that detail private versus public services, how to gain access, copay, and what to expect. Second, we have partnered with a psychologist in the province who is leading a $9 million funded grant to provide and assess behavioral health interventions in the workplace. Finally, we have fostered some new partnerships with targeted non-partisan advocacy health groups to further our own advocacy messaging.
British Columbia
In British Columbia, Primary Care Networks (PCN) has been a huge focus of our Ministry of Health. However, there is no requirement for Primary Care Networks to include a psychologist, and those who have chosen to include one are currently offering union rate of compensation which is significantly lower than what most psychologists can earn in private practice. We are working closely with our government to incentivize the inclusion of psychologists within these PCNs by reducing the cost to the PCN, compensating closer to market rate, and implementing research-based models of care. This is currently our largest advocacy initiative. On a more creative note, we have been working on increasing our social media presence but creating aesthetic graphics on psychology and politics.
Georgia
Georgia Psychological Association (GPA) has been active on several fronts in recent months. As the Georgia legislative session has been meeting since early January, our lobbying team from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has been excellent partners with Anita Brown, GPA DPA, and Daniel Rogers, chair of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee, to tackle several major pieces of legislation – including a threat to the definition of psychological testing by LPCs; a proposed new licensing board and scope of practice for Applied Behavioral Analysts; and efforts to exclude transgender girls from sports. On a very positive note, Speaker David Ralston unveiled the mental health parity bill – an outgrowth of the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, with the goal to help address concerns around access to mental health services and treatment in Georgia.
The 75th Anniversary of GPA will be celebrated at a special event on April 30 with acknowledgments of many contributors to the success and accomplishments of GPA through the years. It will also be a time to recognize Jennifer F. Kelly, PhD, a long-time strong leader within GPA who also provided strong leadership within APA and is now in her year as 2022 past-president.
Idaho
Members of the Idaho Psychological Association (IPA) have been on a wild ride since the beginning of 2022! In the past 20-plus years, IPA has introduced only one bill (RxP), for three years in a row, but on one topic. In mid January, we suddenly had two bills on our plate in the same legislative session. They were PSYPACT and a bill to fix Idaho’s law on regulating and issuing permits for psychology Service Extenders. We expected the 20-page PSYPACT bill to be a heavy lift in “anti-regulation” Idaho, but we didn’t anticipate a quick fix to continue a process already working for nearly 30 years would be so difficult. Surprisingly, the PSYPACT bill went through smoothly. However, an organization that has become especially powerful in our state and ranks bills and legislators on their “Idaho Freedom Index” webpage, gave our Service Extender bill a -2 rating (not good!). Our members who testified did an incredible job. However, it failed on the House floor. That same day, the chair of the House Health & Welfare Committee, a retired physician who caused us much anguish with our RxP bill, took steps to help us get a revised Service Extender bill going with only two weeks left in the session. Four days later, our new bill, with another -2 rating, was back up for debate on the House floor. Knowing it was going to be close, IPA leaders Lyn McArthur, Kendra Westerhaus and Susan Martin spent one evening reaching out to everyone they knew (wouldn’t be surprised if ex-boyfriends or ex-mother-in-laws were included!) to ask them to send messages of support to legislators. HUNDREDS of messages (we only have 120-plus IPA members) were sent. Our tireless lobbyist reported that legislators kept coming up to him saying they were hearing from our people. It made the difference, the bill passed 47-20! Both bills have now been signed by the governor.
Illinois
The Illinois legislature introduced 9,923 bills this session, which were reviewed by the Illinois Psychological Association for relevance to the profession of psychology and the people we serve. We had a very successful legislative session and were part of a coalition that passed several important bills including HB3308, a bill that requires insurance companies to cover telehealth services, when clinically appropriate and medically necessary in the same manner as any other benefits covered under the policy. Of course, this bill only applies to insurance plans that are regulated by the state. Another bill that became law, SB 1974, states that no recoupment or offset may be requested or withheld from future insurance payments 12 months or more after the original payment is made, except in cases in which an insurer contracted with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services is required to recoup or offset payments due to a federal Medicaid requirement. Our law previously gave insurers 18 months to recover these payments.
Manitoba
The Manitoba Psychological Society (MPS) is a non-profit organization of Manitoba psychologists founded in 1966. Its purpose is to further the use of psychology, as a science and profession, in the service of human health, welfare, and quality of life. Over the past year, MPS has maintained an active advocacy role through ongoing contacts with the Ministers of Health, Mental Health, Families, and Justice and through its engagement with media on psychological access issues. MPS also completed a follow-up survey with its members to better understand the ongoing impact of the pandemic on psychologists’ practice and to obtain additional practice information relevant to our advocacy efforts. MPS continues to make strides towards ensuring its practices and priorities support diversity, cultural competency and safety, truth and reconciliation, equity and inclusion, and anti-racist practices. As part of this process, MPS established and awarded its first annual Indigenous Student Bursary, arranged for a local Elder to provide teaching on land acknowledgments, and collaborated with MPS’ Social Action Committee to arrange a communal reading of excerpts of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and related teaching by a local Elder. Recognizing this is an ongoing process, MPS has made a commitment to creating a list of action steps that will be revisited and revised on an annual basis.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA) is looking forward to a successful 2022! We are continuing to host most educational sessions online but are looking forward to having our 86th Annual Conference back in person in April! We are also adding in a virtual President’s Conference with a focus on Child Psychology and are planning our third Multicultural Conference. Our committees and divisions have done an outstanding job of keeping our members connected virtually by hosting a variety of discussion forums and socials. The MPA Legislative Committee continues to advocate for the passing of the Provider Tax bill, which would transfer a tax levied by the state to fund public insurance plans away from small business/practice owners to large insurance companies. Additionally, we are working to support the passing of a bill that would license behavioral analysts under the Board of Psychology, as well as advocate to increase outpatient Medicaid reimbursement rates and pass a ban on conversion therapy. MPA facilitated our first annual Psych Week on the Hill between February 21st to February 23rd, during which MPA members and MPA leadership met with several state legislators to advocate for these issues and other topics relevant to the practice of psychology in Minnesota.
Missouri
The Missouri Psychological Association (MOPA), although a small association, continues to be very active. We have recently changed our bylaws to encourage a greater voice by members in our election process. We have begun to update the language in that document in a way that is more consistent with EDI guidelines and standards. Our Diversity Committee continues to provide expert testimony for a public defenders’ office in a large metro area to encourage fairness to underrepresented groups based on psychological science. Our Integrated Care Committee is providing monthly free CE training on a wide range of health-related topics (e.g., sleep, weight management). We are pursuing a bill in the legislature to better protect telehealth, particularly audio-only telehealth. We have begun a student committee that is focused on a research project to identify best practices by SPTAs in how they support students. Delaware Psychological Association and MOPA have teamed and will be doing regular interviews with other SPTAs on what their SPTAs are doing that are particularly innovative. MOPA will provide in April for a second time free CE ethics training that meets the new state licensure board requirements. We are planning for our first in-person event in two years. We continue our involvement and deep commitment to APA and have members and staff who are board members on CESPPA, Division 31, the ACC, and the Committee on Aging.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s legislative session began the first week of February and the Oklahoma Psychological Association hosted the House Republican Caucus lunch the first week followed by the Senate Democratic and House Rural Caucus the second week. All of this was so beneficial as COVID has heightened the awareness of behavioral health issues and we actually are enjoying legislators helping to advocate for psychology. While deadlines for Committees have passed and the week of March 21st being deadlines on the House and Senate floor, we feel confident that progress is being made on efforts to allow postdocs and those in residency to be able to bill commercial insurance for working under the direction of psychologists. This can currently be done under Medicaid in our state. Additionally, collaboration with the Oklahoma State Medical Association and the Oklahoma Nurses Association hopefully will make headway on opposition to SB 1287 which is a Governor request bill to change who nominates psychologists and laypersons to the OK State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. There are also conversations and educational meetings regarding physician oversight being a barrier to psychologists and access to their patients in a hospital setting. We have also endorsed efforts by the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative on key bills.