SB 93-PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS  CHAIR ELLIS announced SB 93 to be up for consideration. TOM OBERMEYER, staff to Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 93, said that it is "An act relating to the licensed professional counselors and to unlicensed use of the title 'professional counselor.'" It amends two sections of the Alaska statutes concerning professional licenses and insurance as regards licensed professional counselors (LPC). Section 1 better protects the public from unlicensed individuals misusing these titles and misrepresenting themselves as having the same qualifications of licensed professional counselors who must complete formal educational requirements with a Master's degree or higher, pass a licensed qualifying exam and complete lengthy supervised practice for not less than two years. Section 2 amends AS 21.36.090(d), the insurance provisions that prohibit discrimination against licensed service providers under a group insurance policy if that service is within the scope of the provider's occupational license by adding 'licensed professional counselors' to the long list of providers in this category. It also increases access to needed services for some who formerly were excluded because licensed professional counselors were not included with other health care professionals in the non-discrimination clause of this statute. MR. OBERMEYER said that licensed professional counselors make up one-third of all mental health professionals in the State of Alaska and represent about the same proportion of all counselors working in state-funded mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities. The last legislature approved a statutory change to allow licensed professional counselors to practice psychotherapy and make Title 47 civil commitment evaluations. SB 93 helps insure third-party billing parity for licensed professional counselors while also allowing them to be included with other health care professionals in this area. Again, it better protects and serves the public and has a zero fiscal note. 1:40:05 PM KERRY TURNBOW, Co-chair, Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, said he is a practicing clinician in Fairbanks and supported the sponsor statement. Adding "licensed professional counselor" helps protect the public from misrepresentation and potentially adding to the number of poor or unethical practices. It will also allow LPCs to do third-party billing to insurance companies. It was probably an omission in the first place. 1:41:55 PM ANNE HENRY, retired member of the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, explained that LPCs had always been doing psychotherapy, but some insurance companies were refusing to reimburse for it because that service was restricted to use by psychologists. She pointed out that no one else was practicing when their statute was passed years ago and that psychotherapy is now a generic term that everyone across the country uses for the kind of work they do. 1:43:30 PM SENATOR STEVENS asked what other mental health professionals are currently covered by insurance. MS. HENRY replied that several major companies in Alaska already cover and reimburse for LPCs - Aetna, Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Signa, Tri-Care - and the federal government has just recently approved all reimbursement for LPCs. Only a few small companies don't reimburse for their services. SENATOR STEVENS asked who is normally covered. MS. HENRY replied that providers covered for reimbursement are: psychiatrists, medical doctors, physician assistant, dentist, osteopath, optometrist, chiropractor, nurse midwife.... The mental health professionals would be psychologists, psychological associates, clinical social workers and professional counselors. SENATOR STEVENS said this kind of closes a loop hole that insurance companies have avoided payment for. MS. HENRY responded that was correct. SHAWNEE OLSON, Board of Professional Counselors, supported the previous testimony and SB 93. She said she runs a small practice in Homer and that when people see "professional" they expect licensure and reimbursement. 1:47:45 PM PAMELA WATTS, Administrator, Juneau Alliance for Mental Health Inc., supported previous testimony. One of the benefits of passing this bill is it would help employers of mental health professionals with recruitment and retention, because insurance will pay for the services. The fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs recently started to recognize professional counselors for reimbursement is also a huge step in the recognition of the value of professional counselors. 1:49:29 PM SENATOR STEVENS asked if people pretending to be counselors has been a problem in the past. MS. WATTS replied people call themselves all kinds of counselors - credit counselor and car sales counselor for instance. It is difficult for some people to know who they are actually receiving services from. They may assume a person is a mental health professional when, in fact, they aren't. CHAIR ELLIS thanked her for testifying and said the director of the Division of Occupational Licensing would want to testify and held SB 93 for a future hearing.