The face of mental health-care delivery in the United States has changed markedly in the past ten years. Prospects of government regulations intruding on the practice of health care and the ascendance of managed care organizations in the health-care marketplace have combined to threaten the very bases on which the practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy have traditionally been founded. As a result, it is no longer possible for analysts to attend only to the clinical and educational aspects of their professional lives. It is increasingly necessary for us to become involved in trying to educate the public about these matters and to influence government regulations and the political process so as to safeguard the basic rights on which the effective practice of the psychoanalytic therapies depends. These rights include
The right to privacy and confidentiality of the analyst-patient relationship.
The right of health care professionals to make treatment decisions.
The right to private contracting.
In recent years, the leadership of the American has been increasingly aware of this changing reality. Through the activities of such groups as the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance (CGRI) and its new Subcommittee on Local Health Care Initiatives, the Joint Committee on Confidentiality, and the Public Information Committee, the American has intensified its efforts to influence the course of health-care legislation at the state and federal levels.
Much to our surprise and gratification, despite our inexperience and the relatively small size of our budget and numbers, we have been enormously successful in our efforts. In consultation with our health-care advisory firm, Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, and in collaboration with like-minded consumer advocacy and other professional groups, we have worked diligently to safeguard the right to private contracting and to protect the privilege of patient-analyst confidentiality.
Encouraged by these initial efforts and eager to take advantage of our 1999 Annual Meeting being held in the nation's capital, the American has decided to make a commitment to political action part of the May meetings. As part of this effort, the overall thrust of which will be coordinated by Glenn Good, we are planning to hold a Political Action Forum Tuesday and Wednesday, May 11–12, 1999. (For Council members and others who are unable to attend the Wednesday date because of other commitments, Wednesday's program is being repeated on Thursday, May 13.).
The forum, which is being organized by Deborah Peel and myself, will assemble colleagues from all over the country for a two day intensive training. Forum participants will be briefed on the issues; trained to lobby legislators, government officials, and their aides; and then sent out on pre-arranged lobbying visits to the offices of their representatives and senators. No prior political action experience is necessary.
We would like to have at least two or three participants in the forum from each component society and institute, so that we can begin to develop personal relationships with our senators and representatives, broadly convey our message and concerns to Congress and the administration, and maximize the impact of our efforts. This long-overdue foray into political advocacy will not only address a vital need in this crucial year of potential federal health-care legislation. It will also be a way of beginning long-term relationships with our elected and appointed government officials and a way of increasing the comfort, visibility, and effectiveness of our members in the political arena. If members are already working locally in collaboration with like-minded colleagues — other health-care professionals or consumer advocates — who are not members of the American, these allies are also eligible to participate.
By the time this article appears in TAP, the details of how to register for the Political Advocacy Forum will already have been announced. However, it may still not be too late to sign up. Anyone seeking further information or who has missed the announcements may still be able to participate. If you are interested in joining us and learning how to advocate politically and act on behalf of our patients and our professions, or if you would like more information about the forum, please contact forum co-chairs Deborah Peel (512-327-3000; ) or Howard Levine (617-738-5011; ).
Howard B. Levine, M.D., chairs the American's Subcommittee on Local Health Care Initiatives.