Title: Mental and Behavioral Health Connectivity Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Mental and Behavioral Health Connectivity Act
This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of certain telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill excludes mental and behavioral health services from restrictions that (1) 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, (2) allow only certain types of health care practitioners to furnish such services, and (3) require the use of video technology.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3999 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3999

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure access to 
    mental health and behavioral health services furnished through 
                 telehealth under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 18, 2020

  Mr. King (for himself and Mr. Young) 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 ensure access to 
    mental health and behavioral health services furnished through 
                 telehealth 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 ``Mental and Behavioral Health 
Connectivity Act''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES 
              FURNISHED THROUGH TELEHEALTH.

    Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) Ensuring access to mental health and behavioral 
        health services furnished through telehealth.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The following requirements shall 
                not apply with respect to telehealth services that are 
                mental health or behavioral health services, as 
                determined by the Secretary, furnished on or after 
                January 1, 2021, to an eligible telehealth individual:
                            ``(i) The requirements described in 
                        paragraph (4)(C) (relating to geographic and 
                        site requirements for originating sites).
                            ``(ii) The requirements described in 
                        paragraph (4)(E) and section 410.78(b)(2) of 
                        title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, or any 
                        successor regulations (relating to the types of 
                        practitioners that may furnish telehealth 
                        services at a distant site).
                            ``(iii) The requirements described in 
                        paragraph (1) and section 410.78(a)(3) of title 
                        42, Code of Federal regulations, or any 
                        successor regulations (relating to use of 
                        interactive telecommunications systems to 
                        furnish telehealth services), but only to the 
                        extent that such provisions require use of 
                        video technology in order to allow for the use 
                        of audio-only equipment.
                    ``(B) No facility fee if originating site is the 
                home.--In accordance with clause (ii) of paragraph 
                (2)(B), no facility fee shall be paid under such 
                paragraph to an originating site with respect to a 
                telehealth service described in subparagraph (A) if the 
                originating site is the home of an individual.''.
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