II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1715 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate discriminatory 

copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric services under the Medicare 

program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 27, 2007 

Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. KERRY, Mr. SMITH, Mr. BIDEN, Ms. COLLINS, 

and Mr. REED) 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 eliminate 

discriminatory copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric 

services under the Medicare program. 

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 ‘‘Medicare Mental 

5 Health Copayment Equity Act of 2007’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATORY COPAYMENT 

2 RATES FOR MEDICARE OUTPATIENT PSY3 CHIATRIC SERVICES. 

4 Section 1833(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 1395l(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(c)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

7 part, with respect to expenses incurred in a calendar year 

8 in connection with the treatment of mental, psycho9 neurotic, and personality disorders of an individual who 

10 is not an inpatient of a hospital at the time such expenses 

11 are incurred, there shall be considered as incurred ex12 penses for purposes of subsections (a) and (b)— 

13 ‘‘(A) for expenses incurred in any calendar year 

14 that begins before the date of enactment of the 

15 Medicare Mental Health Copayment Equity Act of 

16 2007 (including the calendar year in which such Act 

is enacted), only 621 17 ⁄2 percent of such expenses; 

18 ‘‘(B) for expenses incurred in the first calendar 

19 year that begins after the date of enactment of such 

Act, only 683 20 ⁄4 percent of such expenses; 

21 ‘‘(C) for expenses incurred in the second cal22 endar year that begins after the date of enactment 

23 of such Act, only 75 percent of such expenses; 

24 ‘‘(D) for expenses incurred in the third calendar 

25 year that begins after the date of enactment of such 

Act, only 811 26 ⁄4 percent of such expenses; 


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1 ‘‘(E) for expenses incurred in the fourth cal2 endar year that begins after the date of enactment 

of such Act, only 871 3 ⁄2 percent of such expenses; 

4 ‘‘(F) for expenses incurred in the fifth calendar 

5 year that begins after the date of enactment of such 

Act, only 933 6 ⁄4 percent of such expenses; and 

7 ‘‘(G) for expenses incurred in the sixth calendar 

8 year that begins after the date of enactment of such 

9 Act, or any subsequent calendar year, 100 percent 

10 of such expenses. 

11 ‘‘(2) For purposes of subparagraphs (A) through (F) 

12 of paragraph (1), the term ‘treatment’ does not include 

13 brief office visits (as defined by the Secretary) for the sole 

14 purpose of monitoring or changing drug prescriptions used 

15 in the treatment of such disorders or partial hospitaliza16 tion services that are not directly provided by a physi17 cian.’’. 

Æ 


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