Title: BEST Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Benefit Evaluation of Safe Treatment Act of 2018 or the BEST Act of 2018
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to report on the availability of supplemental health care benefits for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, including differences between MA plans for certain individuals with special needs and other MA plans.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5725 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5725

   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to 
   Congress a report on the extent to which Medicare Advantage plans 
   offered under part C of the Medicare program include supplemental 
    health care benefits designed to treat or prevent substance use 
                               disorders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2018

   Mr. Roskam (for himself, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Shimkus, and Mr. Ruiz) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
    Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, 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 direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to 
   Congress a report on the extent to which Medicare Advantage plans 
   offered under part C of the Medicare program include supplemental 
    health care benefits designed to treat or prevent substance use 
                               disorders.

    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 ``Benefit Evaluation of Safe Treatment 
Act of 2018'' or the ``BEST Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. STUDYING THE AVAILABILITY OF SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS DESIGNED TO 
              TREAT OR PREVENT SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS UNDER MEDICARE 
              ADVANTAGE PLANS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall submit to Congress 
a report on the availability of supplemental health care benefits (as 
described in section 1852(a)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w-22(a)(3)(A))) designed to treat or prevent substance use 
disorders under Medicare Advantage plans offered under part C of title 
XVIII of such Act. Such report shall include the analysis described in 
subsection (c) and any differences in the availability of such benefits 
under specialized MA plans for special needs individuals (as defined in 
section 1859(b)(6) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-28(b)(6))) offered to 
individuals entitled to medical assistance under title XIX of such Act 
and other such Medicare Advantage plans.
    (b) Consultation.--The Secretary shall develop the report described 
in subsection (a) in consultation with relevant stakeholders, 
including--
            (1) individuals entitled to benefits under part A or 
        enrolled under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security 
        Act;
            (2) entities who advocate on behalf of such individuals;
            (3) Medicare Advantage organizations;
            (4) pharmacy benefit managers; and
            (5) providers of services and suppliers (as such terms are 
        defined in section 1861 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x)).
    (c) Contents.--The report described in subsection (a) shall include 
an analysis on the following:
            (1) The extent to which plans described in such subsection 
        offer supplemental health care benefits relating to coverage 
        of--
                    (A) medication-assisted treatments for opioid use, 
                substance use disorder counseling, peer recovery 
                support services, or other forms of substance use 
                disorder treatments (whether furnished in an inpatient 
                or outpatient setting); and
                    (B) non-opioid alternatives for the treatment of 
                pain.
            (2) Challenges associated with such plans offering 
        supplemental health care benefits relating to coverage of items 
        and services described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph 
        (1).
            (3) The impact, if any, increasing the applicable rebate 
        percentage determined under section 1854(b)(1)(C) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-24(b)(1)(C)) for plans offering 
        such benefits relating to such coverage would have on the 
        availability of such benefits relating to such coverage offered 
        under Medicare Advantage plans.
            (4) Potential ways to improve upon such coverage or to 
        incentivize such plans to offer additional supplemental health 
        care benefits relating to such coverage.
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