II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3998 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to simplify payments for 

telehealth services furnished by Federally qualified health centers or 

rural health clinics under the Medicare program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 18, 2020 

Mrs. HYDE-SMITH (for herself and Mr. KING) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to simplify 

payments for telehealth services furnished by Federally 

qualified health centers or rural health clinics under the 

Medicare program, 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 ‘‘Improving Telehealth 

5 for Underserved Communities Act of 2020’’. 


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•S 3998 IS

1 SEC. 2. SIMPLIFYING PAYMENTS FOR TELEHEALTH SERV2 ICES FURNISHED BY FEDERALLY QUALIFIED 

3 HEALTH CENTERS OR RURAL HEALTH CLIN4 ICS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1834(m)(8)(B) of the So6 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(8)(B)) is amended 

7 to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(B) PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall pay 

9 to a Federally qualified health center or rural 

10 health clinic serving as a distant site that fur11 nishes a telehealth service to an eligible tele12 health individual an amount equal to the 

13 amount that such Federally qualified health 

14 center or rural health clinic would have been 

15 paid under the payment methodology described 

16 in section 1834(o) or section 1833(a)(3), re17 spectively, had such service been furnished 

18 without the use of a telecommunications sys19 tem. Costs associated with the delivery of such 

20 services by a Federally qualified health center 

21 or rural health clinic serving as a distant site 

22 pursuant to this paragraph shall be considered 

23 allowable costs for purposes of the payment 

24 methodologies described in the previous sen25 tence.’’. 


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•S 3998 IS

1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

2 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to payments for 

3 telehealth services furnished on or after the first day of 

4 the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) 

5 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B)). 

6 SEC. 3. INCREASING LIMITS ON PAYMENT FOR RURAL 

7 HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES. 

8 Section 1833(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 1395l(f)) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, and’’ and 

11 inserting a semicolon; 

12 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (A) by inserting ‘‘(before 2020)’’ after 

14 ‘‘subsequent year’’; and 

15 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

16 inserting a semicolon; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

18 paragraphs: 

19 ‘‘(3) in 2020, at $92.03 per visit; and 

20 ‘‘(4) in a subsequent year, at the limit estab21 lished under this subsection for the previous year in22 creased by the percentage increase in the MEI (as 

23 so defined) applicable to primary care services (as so 

24 defined) furnished as of the first day of that year.’’. 

Æ 


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