I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4621 

To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve access to, and 

the delivery of, children’s health services through school-based health 

centers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2016 

Mrs. CAPPS (for herself and Mr. SARBANES) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve 

access to, and the delivery of, children’s health services 

through school-based health centers, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hallways to Health 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS. 

2 Title XXI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 1397aa et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing new section: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 2114. GRANTS AND PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE ACCESS 

6 TO, AND THE DELIVERY OF, CHILDREN’S 

7 HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH SCHOOL-BASED 

8 HEALTH CENTERS. 

9 ‘‘(a) GRANTS TO SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS

10 TO ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO ADOPT HEALTHY BEHAV11 IORS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 18 

13 months after the date of enactment of this sub14 section, the Secretary shall publish criteria to enable 

15 school-based health centers to apply for grants for 

16 the purpose of assisting eligible children under this 

17 title and title XIX and other children by providing 

18 funding for community health workers to facilitate 

19 children’s access to services that encourage children 

20 to adopt healthy behaviors and to improve the qual21 ity and cultural competence of the delivery of such 

22 services. Not later than 2 years after such date, the 

23 Secretary shall award grants to school-based health 

24 centers for such purposes. 

25 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A school-based health 

26 center that employs individuals who meet the BuVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:42 Feb 26, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4621.IH H4621

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1 reau of Labor Statistics standard occupational defi2 nition of ‘health educator’ (21–1091 or any suc3 cessor classification number) or ‘community health 

4 worker’ (21–1094 or any successor classification 

5 number) shall be eligible for a grant under this sub6 section. 

7 ‘‘(3) REPORTING.— 

8 ‘‘(A) BY GRANTEES.—A grantee under this 

9 subsection shall annually submit to the Sec10 retary a report containing a description of the 

11 services provided under the grant, the data col12 lected with respect to such services, a descrip13 tion of the efficacy of such services, any other 

14 information determined appropriate by the Sec15 retary. 

16 ‘‘(B) BY SECRETARY.—The Secretary bi17 ennially shall submit to Congress a report on 

18 the efficacy of the grant program established 

19 under this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

22 as may be necessary to carry out this subsection. 

23 Funds appropriated under the preceding sentence 

24 shall remain available until expended.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND EXPANSION OF DEMONSTRA2 TION PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE TELE-HEALTH 

3 SERVICES AT SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CEN4 TERS. 

5 Section 2114 of the Social Security Act (as added by 

6 section 2), is amended by adding at the end the following 

7 new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND EXPANSION OF TELE9 HEALTH SERVICES DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 18 

11 months after the date of enactment of this sub12 section, the Secretary shall publish criteria for the 

13 establishment of a demonstration program to provide 

14 new tele-health services, or to expand existing tele15 health service programs, located at school-based 

16 health centers. A school-based health center’s receipt 

17 of funds under the demonstration program under 

18 this subsection shall not preclude the school-based 

19 health center from being reimbursed by public or 

20 private health insurance programs according to 

21 State law and regulation for items and services fur22 nished by or through the center. 

23 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

25 as may be necessary to carry out this subsection. 


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1 Funds appropriated under the preceding sentence 

2 shall remain available until expended.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. ASSURANCE OF PAYMENT UNDER MEDICAID AND 

4 CHIP FOR COVERED ITEMS AND SERVICES 

5 FURNISHED BY CERTAIN SCHOOL-BASED 

6 HEALTH CENTERS. 

7 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 1902(a) 

8 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)) is amend9 ed by inserting after paragraph (77) the following new 

10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(78) provide that the State shall certify to the 

12 Secretary that the State has implemented proce13 dures to pay for medical assistance (including care 

14 and services described in subsections (a)(4)(B) and 

15 (r) of section 1905 and provided in accordance with 

16 section 1902(a)(43)) furnished in a school-based 

17 health center (as defined in section 2110(c)(9)), if 

18 payment would be made under the State plan for the 

19 same items and services if furnished in a physician’s 

20 office or other outpatient clinic (including if such 

21 payment would be included in the determination of 

22 a prepaid capitation or other risk-based rate of pay23 ment to an entity under a contract pursuant to sec24 tion 1903(m));’’. 


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1 (b) APPLICATION TO CHIP.—Section 2107(e)(1) of 

2 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397gg(e)(1)) is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

5 through (O) as subparagraphs (F) through (P), re6 spectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (D), the 

8 following new subparagraph: 

9 ‘‘(E) Section 1902(a)(78) (relating to pro10 cedures to ensure payment for covered services 

11 furnished in a school-based health center).’’. 

12 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

13 this section take effect on October 1, 2016. 

14 SEC. 5. OTHER IMPROVEMENTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 399Z–1 of the Public 

16 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280h–5) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)(1), in the matter pre18 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘either in 

19 person or via telehealth,’’ after ‘‘health centers,’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a)(3)(A), by inserting before 

21 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, and include univer22 sities, accountable care organizations, and behavioral 

23 health organizations’’; 

24 (3) in subsection (c)(2)(C)(4), by inserting 

25 ‘‘and health education’’ after ‘‘health services’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘may—’’ and 

2 all that follows through the end and inserting ‘‘may, 

3 upon a showing of good cause, waive the require4 ment that the SBHC provide all required com5 prehensive primary health services for a period of 

6 not to exceed 2 years.’’; 

7 (5) in subsection (i), by inserting before the pe8 riod the following: ‘‘, including using existing quality 

9 performance measures funded by the Federal Gov10 ernment for such entities’’; 

11 (6) in subsection (l)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘2021’’; and 

14 (B) by redesignating such subsection as 

15 subsection (n); and 

16 (7) by inserting after subsection (k), the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(l) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary, act19 ing directly or through the awarding of grants or contracts 

20 to private, nonprofit entities shall establish or support ex21 isting State school-based health center resource centers 

22 that— 

23 ‘‘(1) provide advocacy, training, and technical 

24 assistance to school-based health centers, including 

25 maximizing Federal and State resources; 


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1 ‘‘(2) support the development of school-based 

2 health centers; and 

3 ‘‘(3) enhance the operations and performance of 

4 school-based health centers. 

5 ‘‘(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

6 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

7 to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary.’’. 

8 (b) COVERED ENTITY.—Section 340B(a)(4) of the 

9 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256b(a)(4)) is 

10 amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(P) A school-based health center.’’. 

12 (c) QUALIFIED HEALTH PLANS.—Section 

13 1311(c)(1)(C) of the Patient Protection and Affordable 

14 Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18031(c)(1)(C)) is amended by in15 serting ‘‘, providers defined in section 2110(c)(9) of the 

16 Social Security Act,’’ after ‘‘Public Health Service Act’’. 

Æ 


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