Title: Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth In Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth In Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act
This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of certain telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill removes restrictions that require the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) to be in certain rural areas and to be a specific type of facility, if the services (1) are mental health services furnished in a frontier state, or (2) are furnished in an Indian Health Service facility.
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Agriculture must award grants for broadband infrastructure in frontier states to support the provision of mental health services via telehealth under Medicare.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4211 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4211

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access in 
frontier States to mental health services furnished through telehealth, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 2, 2020

Mr. Sullivan (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access in 
frontier States to mental health services furnished through telehealth, 
                        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 ``Facilitating Reforms that Offer 
Necessary Telehealth In Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED IN 
              FRONTIER STATES THROUGH TELEHEALTH.

    (a) In General.--Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(B)(i), in the matter preceding 
        subclause (I), by striking ``paragraph (6)(C)'' and inserting 
        ``paragraphs (6)(C) and (9)'';
            (2) in paragraph (4)(C)(i), by striking ``and (7)'' and 
        inserting ``(7), and (9)''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) Treatment of mental health services furnished in 
        frontier states.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The originating site 
                requirements under paragraph (4)(C) shall not apply 
                with respect to telehealth services furnished on or 
                after January 1, 2021, that are furnished in a frontier 
                State (as defined in section 1886(d)(3)(E)(iii)(II)) 
                and are mental health services (as determined by the 
                Secretary), except that a facility fee under paragraph 
                (2)(B)(i) may only be paid to an originating site that 
                is a site described in any of subclauses (I) through 
                (IX) of paragraph (4)(C)(ii).
                    ``(B) Definition of originating site.--With respect 
                to telehealth services described in subparagraph (A), 
                the term `originating site' means any fixed or mobile 
                location at which the individual is located at the time 
                the service is furnished.''.
    (b) Grants for the Deployment of Broadband Structure.--
            (1) In general.--The Chairman of the Federal Communications 
        Commission and the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service 
        of the United States Department of Agriculture, in consultation 
        with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration and the Director of the Indian Health Service, 
        shall award grants for the deployment of broadband 
        infrastructure in frontier States, as defined in section 
        1886(d)(3)(E)(iii)(II) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1395ww(d)(3)(E)(iii)(II)), to support the furnishing of mental 
        health services through telehealth pursuant to section 
        1834(m)(9) of such Act, as added by subsection (a).
            (2) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        such sums as are necessary for purposes of carrying out this 
        subsection.

SEC. 3. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)), as amended by section 2(a), is amended--
            (1) in clause (i), in the matter preceding subclause (I), 
        by inserting ``, and subject to clause (iii)'' after ``and 
        (9)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(iii) Indian health service facilities.--
                        The originating site requirements described in 
                        clauses (i) and (ii) shall not apply with 
                        respect to a facility of the Indian Health 
                        Service, whether operated by such Service, or 
                        by an Indian tribe (as that term is defined in 
                        section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
                        Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)) or a tribal organization 
                        (as that term is defined in section 4 of the 
                        Indian Self-Determination and Education 
                        Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)).''.
    (b) No Originating Site Facility Fee for New Sites.--Section 
1834(m)(2)(B)(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(m)(2)(B)(i)) is amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), 
by inserting ``(other than an originating site that is only described 
in clause (iii) of paragraph (4)(C), and does not meet the requirement 
for an originating site under clause (i) of such paragraph)'' after 
``the originating site''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2021.
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