Title: REMOVE Copays Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Reduce and Eliminate Mental Health Outpatient Veteran Copays Act or the REMOVE Copays Act
This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from imposing or collecting any co-payment for the first three mental health outpatient care visits in a calendar year for a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7589 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7589

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the imposition or 
  collection of copayments for certain mental health outpatient care 
              visits of veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 26, 2022

  Mr. Takano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the imposition or 
  collection of copayments for certain mental health outpatient care 
              visits of veterans, 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 ``Reduce and Eliminate Mental Health 
Outpatient Veteran Copays Act'' or the ``REMOVE Copays Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON IMPOSITION OR COLLECTION OF COPAYMENTS FOR 
              CERTAIN MENTAL HEALTH OUTPATIENT CARE VISITS OF VETERANS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Section 1722B of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``collection'' and 
        all that follows through ``veterans'' and inserting ``and 
        prohibition on collection of copayments for certain visits of 
        veterans'';
            (2) by striking ``The Secretary may'' and inserting ``(a) 
        Telehealth and Telemedicine Visits.--The Secretary may''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(b) Mental Health Outpatient Care Visits.--The Secretary may not 
impose or collect any copayment under the laws administered by the 
Secretary with respect to any veteran enrolled in the system of annual 
patient enrollment established under section 1705(a) of this title for 
the first three mental health outpatient care visits of the veteran in 
a calendar year.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 17 of such title is amended by striking the item relating to 
section 1722B and inserting the following new item:

``1722B. Copayments: waiver of and prohibition on collection of 
                            copayments for certain visits of 
                            veterans.''.
    (c) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to mental health outpatient care visits occurring on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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