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 Com-
mittee 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 hous-
ing located in health professional shortage areas, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. PILOT PROGRAM TO EXPAND TELEHEALTH OP-
TIONS UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM FOR 
CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1834(m) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(5) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During a five-year pe-
riod that begins not later than six months after 
the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 
the Secretary shall establish and implement a 
pilot program that applies this subsection, with 
respect to an individual described in subpara-
graph (B), in the manner in which the Sec-
retary would apply such subsection if— 
‘‘(i) such pilot program were, for pur-
poses of the provision of paragraph (1) re-
lating to store-and-forward technologies, a 
Federal telemedicine demonstration pro-
gram conducted in Alaska or Hawaii; 
‘‘(ii) any service furnished under the 
pilot program were, for purposes of para-
graph (4)(C)(i) (relating to the furnishing 
of services at rural sites), furnished at a 
site that is located in an area described in 
subclause (I) of such paragraph or a coun-
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Federally qualified health centers (as de-
fined in section 1861(aa)(4)) and rural 
health clinics (as defined in section 
1861(aa)(2)); and 
‘‘(vi) the term ‘practitioner’, as de-
fined in paragraph (4)(E), included, in ad-
dition to the individuals described in such 
paragraph, respiratory therapists, audiol-
ogists, occupational therapists, physical 
therapists, and speech language patholo-
gists. 
‘‘(B) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—An indi-
vidual described in this subparagraph is an in-
dividual who— 
‘‘(i) is enrolled under this part who 
receives a telehealth service; and 
‘‘(ii) resides in public housing (as 
such term is defined in section 3(b) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
U.S.C. 1437a(b))). 
‘‘(C) ISSUANCE
OF
REGULATIONS.—Not 
later than the date that is six months after the 
date of enactment of this paragraph, the Sec-
retary shall issue such regulations as are nec-
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essary to carry out the pilot program described 
in this paragraph.’’. 
Æ 
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