Title: To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a State Medicaid option to enhance administrative matching funds to support statewide behavioral health access program activities for children under 21 years of age, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow a state Medicaid program to provide, and receive an enhanced federal matching rate for providing, administrative activities carried out with respect to a behavioral health access program for individuals under 21 years of age.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2337 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2337

 To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a State 
  Medicaid option to enhance administrative matching funds to support 
  statewide behavioral health access program activities for children 
             under 21 years of age, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2017

 Mr. Loebsack (for himself, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Engel, Mrs. Napolitano, and 
 Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a State 
  Medicaid option to enhance administrative matching funds to support 
  statewide behavioral health access program activities for children 
             under 21 years of age, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. COVERAGE OF STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAM 
              ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 21.

    (a) Child Behavioral Health Access Program Activities for Children 
Under Age 21.--Title XIX of the Social Security Act is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 1947. COVERAGE OF STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAM 
              ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 21.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 1902(a)(10)(B) (relating 
to comparability) and any other provision of this title for which the 
Secretary determines it is necessary to waive in order to implement 
this section, beginning January 1, 2017, a State, at its option as a 
State plan amendment, may provide for medical assistance under this 
title for child behavioral health access program activities.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Child behavioral health access administrative program 
        activities.--The term `child behavioral health access 
        administrative program activities' means administrative 
        activities that are carried out with respect to a child 
        behavioral health access administrative program.
            ``(2) Child behavioral health access administrative 
        program.--The term `child behavioral health access 
        administrative program' means a program that, with respect to 
        behavioral health services furnished to individuals under 21 
        years of age--
                    ``(A) designs, develops, and implements an 
                organized statewide or regional network of mental 
                health professionals that may include child and 
                adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, social 
                workers, psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, and 
                substance abuse counselors to expand the capacity of 
                pediatric primary care providers to deliver family-
                centered behavioral health care;
                    ``(B) conducts an assessment of critical child 
                behavioral health consultation needs among pediatric 
                primary care providers and their preferred mechanisms 
                for receiving consultation and training and technical 
                assistance;
                    ``(C) develops an online database and communication 
                mechanisms, including telehealth, to facilitate 
                consultation support to pediatric primary care 
                providers, to track referrals for behavioral evaluation 
                made by such providers, and to facilitate follow-up 
                visits to such providers;
                    ``(D) conducts training and provides technical 
                assistance to pediatric primary care providers to 
                support the prevention, early identification, 
                diagnosis, treatment, and referral of children with 
                mental or behavioral health conditions;
                    ``(E) informs and assists pediatric providers in 
                accessing child and adolescent psychiatry or behavioral 
                health consultations, referral for behavioral 
                evaluation and treatment, and in scheduling and 
                conducting training and technical assistance;
                    ``(F) informs children eligible to receive medical 
                assistance under this title and their families about 
                the availability of the assistance available through 
                the program;
                    ``(G) establishes mechanisms for measuring and 
                monitoring increased access to child and adolescent 
                behavioral health activities by pediatric primary care 
                providers and expanded capacity of pediatric primary 
                care providers to identify, treat, and refer children 
                with mental or behavioral health problems; and
                    ``(H) establishes mechanisms for coordination with 
                other State mental or behavioral health resources for 
                children and adolescents.
            ``(3) Pediatric primary care provider.--The term `pediatric 
        primary care provider' includes a provider who is a general 
        practitioner, family medicine physician, internal medicine 
        physician, or pediatrician.''.
    (b) Enhanced FMAP.--Section 1903(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396b(a)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(7) for each calendar quarter during--
                    ``(A) 2018, an amount equal to 100 percent,
                    ``(B) 2019, an amount equal to 90 percent,
                    ``(C) 2020, an amount equal to 80 percent,
                    ``(D) 2021, an amount equal to 70 percent, and
                    ``(E) 2022 and each year thereafter, an amount 
                equal to 60 percent,
        of so much of the sums expended by the State plan as are 
        attributable to providing child behavioral health access 
        administrative program activities (as defined in section 1947); 
        plus''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made in this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after the date that is 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>