Title: Improving Telehealth for Underserved Communities Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Improving Telehealth for Underserved Communities Act of 2020
This bill establishes a particular Medicare payment methodology for telehealth services furnished by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires payments to be made in accordance with the same methodology that is used for non-telehealth services, rather than in accordance with a separate methodology determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3998 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3998

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to simplify payments 
for telehealth services furnished by Federally qualified health centers 
   or rural health clinics under the Medicare program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 18, 2020

  Mrs. Hyde-Smith (for herself and Mr. King) 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 simplify payments 
for telehealth services furnished by Federally qualified health centers 
   or rural health clinics under the Medicare program, 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 ``Improving Telehealth for Underserved 
Communities Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. SIMPLIFYING PAYMENTS FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED BY 
              FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS OR RURAL HEALTH 
              CLINICS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1834(m)(8)(B) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(8)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(B) Payment.--The Secretary shall pay to a 
                Federally qualified health center or rural health 
                clinic serving as a distant site that furnishes a 
                telehealth service to an eligible telehealth individual 
                an amount equal to the amount that such Federally 
                qualified health center or rural health clinic would 
                have been paid under the payment methodology described 
                in section 1834(o) or section 1833(a)(3), respectively, 
                had such service been furnished without the use of a 
                telecommunications system. Costs associated with the 
                delivery of such services by a Federally qualified 
                health center or rural health clinic serving as a 
                distant site pursuant to this paragraph shall be 
                considered allowable costs for purposes of the payment 
                methodologies described in the previous sentence.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to payments for telehealth services furnished on or 
after the first day of the emergency period described in section 
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)(B)).

SEC. 3. INCREASING LIMITS ON PAYMENT FOR RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES.

    Section 1833(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(f)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``, and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(before 2020)'' after 
                ``subsequent year''; and
                    (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(3) in 2020, at $92.03 per visit; and
            ``(4) in a subsequent year, at the limit established under 
        this subsection for the previous year increased by the 
        percentage increase in the MEI (as so defined) applicable to 
        primary care services (as so defined) furnished as of the first 
        day of that year.''.
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