Title: Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2019
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2019
This bill increases the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services. The bill excludes clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare.
Additionally, the bill alters the definition of clinical social worker services as it relates to Medicare. Under current law, such services (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 782 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 782

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to 
           mental health services under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 13, 2019

 Ms. Stabenow (for herself and Mr. Barrasso) 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 improve access to 
           mental health services under the Medicare program.

    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 ``Improving Access to Mental Health 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Access to Clinical Social Workers.--Section 1833(a)(1)(F)(ii) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(F)(ii)) is amended by 
striking ``75 percent of the amount determined for payment of a 
psychologist under clause (L)'' and inserting ``85 percent of the fee 
schedule amount provided under section 1848''.
    (b) Access to Clinical Social Worker Services Provided to Residents 
of Skilled Nursing Facilities.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1888(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395yy(e)(2)(A)(ii)) is amended by 
        inserting ``clinical social worker services,'' after 
        ``qualified psychologist services,''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 1861(hh)(2) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(2)) is amended by 
        striking ``and other than services furnished to an inpatient of 
        a skilled nursing facility which the facility is required to 
        provide as a requirement for participation''.
    (c) Access to the Complete Set of Clinical Social Worker 
Services.--Section 1861(hh)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(hh)(2)) is further amended by striking ``for the diagnosis and 
treatment of mental illnesses (other than services'' and inserting 
``(including services for the diagnosis and treatment of mental 
illnesses or services for health and behavior assessment and 
intervention (identified as of January 1, 2019, by HCPCS codes 96150 
through 96161 (and any succeeding codes)), but not including 
services''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2020.
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