Plain English summary not yet available
The full original text is available below. Check back soon as we process this bill.
I
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 9035
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand accessibility
to certain telehealth services under the Medicare program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DECEMBER 18, 2020
Mr. SMITH of Missouri (for himself and Mr. CA´RDENAS) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand
accessibility to certain telehealth services under the Medi-
care program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Permanency for Audio-
4
Only Telehealth Act’’.
5
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:40 Jan 05, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9035.IH
H9035
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with BILLS
2
•HR 9035 IH
SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESSIBILITY TO CERTAIN TELE-
1
HEALTH SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE
2
PROGRAM.
3
(a) USE
OF AUDIO-ONLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS
4
SYSTEMS FOR CERTAIN SERVICES.—Section 1834(m)(4)
5
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)) is
6
amended by adding at the end the following new subpara-
7
graph:
8
‘‘(G) TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.—
9
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘tele-
10
communications system’ includes, in the
11
case of the furnishing of a specified tele-
12
health service (as defined in clause (ii)), a
13
communications system consisting only of
14
audio capabilities.
15
‘‘(ii) SPECIFIED TELEHEALTH SERV-
16
ICE.—For purposes of clause (i), the term
17
‘specified telehealth service’ means a tele-
18
health service consisting of—
19
‘‘(I) evaluation and management
20
services;
21
‘‘(II)
mental
and
behavioral
22
health services;
23
‘‘(III) substance use disorder
24
services; or
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:40 Jan 05, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9035.IH
H9035
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with BILLS
3
•HR 9035 IH
‘‘(IV) any other service specified
1
by the Secretary.’’.
2
(b) REMOVING GEOGRAPHIC RESTRICTIONS AND EX-
3
PANDING THE USE OF THE HOME AS AN ORIGINATING
4
SITE
FOR CERTAIN TELEHEALTH SERVICES.—Section
5
1834(m)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
6
1395m(m)(7)) is amended—
7
(1) in the header, by striking ‘‘SUBSTANCE USE
8
DISORDER’’ and inserting ‘‘CERTAIN’’;
9
(2) by striking ‘‘with respect to telehealth serv-
10
ices’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘with respect to—
11
‘‘(A) telehealth services’’;
12
(3) by striking the period at the end and insert-
13
ing ‘‘; or’’; and
14
(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
15
paragraph:
16
‘‘(B) telehealth services consisting of eval-
17
uation and management services or mental and
18
behavioral health services furnished on or after
19
the date of the enactment of this subparagraph
20
to an eligible telehealth individual at an origi-
21
nating
site
described
in
paragraph
22
(4)(C)(ii)(X).’’.
23
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:40 Jan 05, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H9035.IH
H9035
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with BILLS