I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1571 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate discriminatory 
copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric services under the Medicare 
Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 19, 2007 
Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mrs. NAPOLITANO) intro-
duced 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 eliminate 
discriminatory copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric 
services under the Medicare Program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Seniors Access to Men-
tal Health Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Medicare program currently discrimi-
nates against mental health services for seniors by 
charging more in copayments for such services than 
for any other outpatient health care services. This 
policy creates a barrier for seniors who would benefit 
from effective mental health treatments and in-
creases costs to the Medicare program. 
(2) Despite the availability of proven treat-
ments, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ad-
ministration has shown that 63 percent of seniors 
who need mental health treatments do not receive it. 
(3) The Surgeon General attributes this large 
unmet need to patient barriers (such as the reluc-
tance of patients to discuss psychological problems), 
provider barriers (such as difficulty with respect to 
diagnosing and treating mental illness), and health 
care system barriers (such as payment and coverage 
policies). 
(4) Adjusting Medicare copayment rates for 
outpatient psychiatric care to correspond with Medi-
care copayment rates for all other health care serv-
ices will integrate the diagnosis and treatment of 
chronic diseases and mental illnesses, such as de-
pression, for more effective care and lower health 
care costs. 
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SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATORY COPAYMENT 
RATES FOR MEDICARE OUTPATIENT PSY-
CHIATRIC SERVICES. 
Section 1833(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(c)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
part, with respect to expenses incurred in a calendar year 
in connection with the treatment of mental, psycho-
neurotic, and personality disorders of an individual who 
is not an inpatient of a hospital at the time such expenses 
are incurred, there shall be considered as incurred ex-
penses for purposes of subsections (a) and (b)— 
‘‘(A) for expenses incurred in any year before 
2008, only 621⁄2 percent of such expenses; 
‘‘(B) for expenses incurred in 2008, only 683⁄4 
percent of such expenses; 
‘‘(C) for expenses incurred in 2009, only 75 
percent of such expenses; 
‘‘(D) for expenses incurred in 2010, only 811⁄4 
percent of such expenses; 
‘‘(E) for expenses incurred in 2011, only 871⁄2 
percent of such expenses; 
‘‘(F) for expenses incurred in 2012, only 933⁄4 
percent of such expenses; and 
‘‘(G) for expenses incurred in 2013, or any sub-
sequent year, 100 percent of such expenses. 
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‘‘(2) For purposes of subparagraphs (A) through (F) 
of paragraph (1), the term ‘treatment’ does not include 
brief office visits (as defined by the Secretary) for the sole 
purpose of monitoring or changing drug prescriptions used 
in the treatment of such disorders or partial hospitaliza-
tion services that are not directly provided by a physi-
cian.’’. 
Æ 
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