I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 766 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a pilot program 

to expand telehealth options under the Medicare program for individuals 

residing in public housing located in health professional shortage areas, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 31, 2017 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 

Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish 

a pilot program to expand telehealth options under the 

Medicare program for individuals residing in public housing located in health professional shortage areas, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. PILOT PROGRAM TO EXPAND TELEHEALTH OP2 TIONS UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM FOR 

3 CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1834(m) of the Social Se5 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended by adding 

6 at the end the following new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(5) PILOT PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During a five-year pe9 riod that begins not later than six months after 

10 the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 

11 the Secretary shall establish and implement a 

12 pilot program that applies this subsection, with 

13 respect to an individual described in subpara14 graph (B), in the manner in which the Sec15 retary would apply such subsection if— 

16 ‘‘(i) such pilot program were, for pur17 poses of the provision of paragraph (1) re18 lating to store-and-forward technologies, a 

19 Federal telemedicine demonstration pro20 gram conducted in Alaska or Hawaii; 

21 ‘‘(ii) any service furnished under the 

22 pilot program were, for purposes of para23 graph (4)(C)(i) (relating to the furnishing 

24 of services at rural sites), furnished at a 

25 site that is located in an area described in 

26 subclause (I) of such paragraph or a counVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:48 Feb 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H766.IH H766

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1 ty described in subclause (II) of such para2 graph; 

3 ‘‘(iii) paragraph (3)(A) required the 

4 Secretary to apply the provisions of section 

5 1848(g) and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

6 section 1842(b)(18) to a physician or prac7 titioner receiving payment under this sub8 section in the same manner as they apply 

9 to physicians, suppliers (including the sup10 pliers that, pursuant to clause (vi), are in11 cluded in the definition of ‘practitioner’ for 

12 purposes of the pilot program), or practi13 tioners under such sections; 

14 ‘‘(iv) the term ‘telehealth service’, as 

15 defined in paragraph (4)(F)(i), included, in 

16 addition to such the service described in 

17 such paragraph, any physical, respiratory, 

18 occupational, psychological, and speech 

19 therapy for which coverage is provided 

20 under this title when the individual physi21 cian or practitioner providing the service is 

22 at the same location as the beneficiary; 

23 ‘‘(v) the term ‘distant site’, as defined 

24 in paragraph (4)(A), included, in addition 

25 to the sites described in such paragraph, 


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1 Federally qualified health centers (as de2 fined in section 1861(aa)(4)) and rural 

3 health clinics (as defined in section 

4 1861(aa)(2)); and 

5 ‘‘(vi) the term ‘practitioner’, as de6 fined in paragraph (4)(E), included, in ad7 dition to the individuals described in such 

8 paragraph, respiratory therapists, audiol9 ogists, occupational therapists, physical 

10 therapists, and speech language patholo11 gists. 

12 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—An indi13 vidual described in this subparagraph is an in14 dividual who— 

15 ‘‘(i) is enrolled under this part who 

16 receives a telehealth service; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) resides in public housing (as 

18 such term is defined in section 3(b) of the 

19 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

20 U.S.C. 1437a(b))). 

21 ‘‘(C) ISSUANCE OF REGULATIONS.—Not 

22 later than the date that is six months after the 

23 date of enactment of this paragraph, the Sec24 retary shall issue such regulations as are necVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:48 Feb 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H766.IH H766

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1 essary to carry out the pilot program described 

2 in this paragraph.’’. 

Æ 


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