Title: Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act of 2018
This bill specifies that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may consider, when selecting innovative payment and service delivery models to test, the effect of such models on certain patient populations (e.g., high risk) and on minority and rural health disparities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6601 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6601

To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to improve access to care 
for all Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries through models tested under 
    the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2018

    Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Levin) 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 XI of the Social Security Act to improve access to care 
for all Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries through models tested under 
    the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equality in Medicare and Medicaid 
Treatment Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING ACCESS TO CARE FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID 
              BENEFICIARIES.

    Section 1115A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315a) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ``, the causes of 
        health disparities and social determinants of health,'' after 
        ``medicine'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``, as well 
                as improving access to care received by individuals 
                receiving benefits under such title,'' after ``title'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by adding at the end the 
                following new clauses:
                            ``(ix) Whether the model will discourage 
                        providers of services and supplies from 
                        treating high risk patients, patients from 
                        minority or rural communities, or women.
                            ``(x) Whether the model demonstrates 
                        reductions in minority and rural health 
                        disparities.''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (4)(A)--
                            (i) in clause (i) at the end, by striking 
                        ``and'';
                            (ii) in clause (ii), at the end, by 
                        striking the period and inserting ``; and''; 
                        and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new clause:
                            ``(iii) the extent to which the model 
                        improves access to care or the extent to which 
                        the model discourages providers from caring for 
                        high risk patients, women, patients from racial 
                        or ethnic minorities, or patients from rural 
                        communities.'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking at the end 
                ``and'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (4);
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(3) the Office of Minority Health of the Centers for 
        Medicare & Medicaid Services certifies that such expansion will 
        not reduce access to care for women, low-income, minority, or 
        rural beneficiaries; and'';
                    (D) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B), by inserting before the period at the 
                end the following: ``nor increase health disparities 
                experienced by women, low-income, minority, or rural 
                beneficiaries''; and
                    (E) in the matter following paragraph (4), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, 
                improve access to care,'' after ``care''.

SEC. 3. UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN MEDICARE AND 
              MEDICAID POPULATIONS.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, for each fiscal 
year (beginning not later than fiscal year 2019), submit to Congress an 
annual report that analyzes the following:
            (1) The extent and severity of minority and rural health 
        disparities in Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
            (2) The prevalence of interventions that address social 
        determinants of health in payment models selected by the Center 
        for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for testing.
            (3) The prevalence of interventions that address social 
        determinants of health in payment models not selected by the 
        Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for testing.
            (4) The effectiveness of payment models selected by the 
        Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for testing in 
        mitigating negative health outcomes associated with social 
        determinants of health.
            (5) Changes in the prevalence of minority health 
        disparities and rural health disparities in Medicare and 
        Medicaid beneficiaries served by providers participating in 
        payment models that were expanded by the Center for Medicare 
        and Medicaid Innovation.
            (6) In consultation with the Comptroller General of the 
        United States, estimated Federal savings achieved through the 
        reduction of rural and minority health disparities.
            (7) Other areas determined appropriate by the Secretary.
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