OPA’s staff, board, members and the OPA-PAC members contributed to the following actions that help make Ohio a mentally healthier place to live and work.

• Anti bullying legislation passes: emphasizes training, cyber-bullying, bullying off school premises (January, 2012)
• Psychologists again fight back Medicare cut at federal level (December, 2011)
• OPA supports new Office of Health Transformation and integrated health home model with behavior health participation (June, 2011)
• OPA’s Sequence of Training Bill (HB503) passed, allowing students with two years of internship to sit for a license without requiring that one year be post-doc (January 2009)
• Insurance contracting made fairer for providers (HB 185, October 2009)
• Autism parity passes the Ohio House (HB 8, December 2009)
• Dating violence prevention education is required in schools beginning March, 2010 (HB 19)
• OPA’s Annual Legislative Day and visits with legislators builds a network of experienced psychologists/advocates who are developing relationships with their State Representatives and State Senators
• Election of first psychologist governor and first lady, Ted Strickland and Frances Strickland (January 2007)
• Children’s health care and early childhood interventions, including mental health services, become a state budget priority (January 2008)
• For the first time in four years, individual psychologists can bill for mental health services for adults with Medicaid insurance (January 2008)
• Federal Medicare 10.6% fee cut was stopped and a 1.1% increase was added (July 2008)
• Mental health parity in Medicare co-payments phased in beginning in 2010 (July 2008)
• Ohio Department of Insurance fines United Healthcare for telling consumers to find a new doctor (July 2008)
• Ohio Department of Insurance blasts Anthem for phantom panels (June 2008)
• Bureau of Disability Determination removes 24-hour termination clause from contracts with psychologist/consultants and replaces it with two-week termination language (April 2008)
• Insurance companies are forced to provide transparent contracts with a fee structure attached and a standardized credentialing format (HB 125, March 2008)
• OPA member psychologist chosen as the new Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Clinical Director
• Comprehensive Mental Health Parity legislation introduced again in the Ohio House (HB 384 & SB 298 November 2007)
• Omnibus licensing board defeated, saving specialized Psychology Board (2006)
• Insurance companies forced to pay claims in 30 days or pay automatic late payments (Prompt Pay legislation – SB 4 June 2001)
• Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) protects the privacy of patient records (February 2009)