Title: Improving Access to Mental Health Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Improving Access to Mental Health Act
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services, (2) exclude clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare, and (3) alter the definition of “clinical social worker services” as it relates to Medicare.
Under current law, “clinical social worker services”: (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1290 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1290

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to 
           mental health services under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2017

 Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Serrano, Ms. McCollum, and Mr. 
  Grijalva) 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 improve access to 
           mental health services under the Medicare program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Access to Mental Health 
Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Access to Clinical Social Workers.--Section 1833(a)(1)(F)(ii) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(F)(ii)) is amended by 
striking ``75 percent of the amount determined for payment of a 
psychologist under clause (L)'' and inserting ``85 percent of the fee 
schedule amount provided under section 1848''.
    (b) Access to Clinical Social Worker Services Provided to Residents 
of Skilled Nursing Facilities.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1888(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395yy(e)(2)(A)(ii)) is amended by 
        inserting ``clinical social worker services,'' after 
        ``qualified psychologist services,''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 1861(hh)(2) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(2)) is amended by 
        striking ``and other than services furnished to an inpatient of 
        a skilled nursing facility which the facility is required to 
        provide as a requirement for participation''.
    (c) Access to the Complete Set of Clinical Social Worker 
Services.--Section 1861(hh)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(hh)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``for the diagnosis and treatment of mental 
        illnesses (other than services'' and inserting ``, including 
        health behavior assessment and intervention as identified as of 
        January 1, 2017, by HCPCS codes 96150 through 96161 (and any 
        succeeding codes), but not including services''; and
            (2) by striking ``) which'' and inserting ``, which''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2018.
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