Title: Expanding Access to Treatment Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Expanding Access to Treatment Act
This bill requires payment under Medicare to federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics that have health care practitioners who are newly certified to provide medication-assisted treatment. Specifically, a federally qualified health center or rural health clinic may receive payment for each health care practitioner who becomes certified on or after January 1, 2019, to prescribe or dispense methadone, buprenorphine, or suboxone (medications used to treat opioid-use disorders). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must set payments based on training costs for practitioner certification.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5769 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5769

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access under 
  the Medicare program to addiction treatment in Federally qualified 
                health centers and rural health clinics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2018

Mr. Rothfus (for himself and Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois) 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 expand access under 
  the Medicare program to addiction treatment in Federally qualified 
                health centers and rural health clinics.

    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 ``Expanding Access to Treatment Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESS UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM TO ADDICTION 
              TREATMENT IN FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS AND RURAL 
              HEALTH CLINICS.

    (a) Federally Qualified Health Centers.--Section 1834(o) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(o)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Additional payments for certain fqhcs with 
        practitioners receiving data 2000 certification.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of a Federally 
                qualified health center with respect to which, 
                beginning January 1, 2019, Federally-qualified health 
                center services (as defined in section 1861(aa)(3)) are 
                furnished by a health care practitioner who first 
                receives on or after such date a registration or waiver 
                under section 303(g) of the Controlled Substances Act 
                to prescribe or dispense methadone, buprenorphine, or 
                suboxone for the purpose of maintenance or 
                detoxification treatment, the Secretary shall, subject 
                to availability of funds under subparagraph (B), make a 
                payment (in accordance with such timing, method, and 
                procedures as specified by the Secretary) to such 
                Federally qualified health center in an amount 
                determined by the Secretary, based on an approximation 
                of the cost to receive training for purposes of such 
                registration or waiver, as applicable. For purposes of 
                the previous sentence, a Federally-qualified health 
                center shall apply for a payment described in such 
                sentence at such time and in such manner as specified 
                by the Secretary and may apply for such a payment for 
                each practitioner furnishing such services at such 
                center who is described in such sentence.
                    ``(B) Funding.--For purposes of making payments 
                under this paragraph, there are appropriated, out of 
                amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 
                $6,000,000, which shall remain available until 
                expended.''.
    (b) Rural Health Clinic.--Section 1833 of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395l) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the subsection (z) relating to medical 
        review of spinal subluxation services as subsection (aa); and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(bb) Additional Payments for Certain Rural Health Clinics With 
Practitioners Receiving DATA 2000 Certification.--
            ``(1) In general.--In the case of a rural health clinic 
        with respect to which, beginning January 1, 2019, rural health 
        clinic services (as defined in section 1861(aa)(1)) are 
        furnished by a health care practitioner who first receives on 
        or after such date a registration or waiver under section 
        303(g) of the Controlled Substances Act to prescribe or 
        dispense methadone, buprenorphine, or suboxone for the purpose 
        of maintenance or detoxification treatment, the Secretary 
        shall, subject to availability of funds under subparagraph (B), 
        make a payment (in accordance with such timing, method, and 
        procedures as specified by the Secretary) to such rural health 
        clinic in an amount determined by the Secretary, based on an 
        approximation of the cost to receive training for purposes of 
        such registration or waiver, as applicable. For purposes of the 
        previous sentence, a rural health clinic shall apply for a 
        payment described in such sentence at such time and in such 
        manner as specified by the Secretary and may apply for such a 
        payment for each practitioner furnishing such services at such 
        clinic who is described in such sentence.
            ``(2) Funding.--For purposes of making payments under this 
        subsection, there are appropriated, out of amounts in the 
        Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000, which shall 
        remain available until expended.''.
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