[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 848 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 848

   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the 
  Health Care Financing Administration, to expand and strengthen the 
demonstration project known as the Medicare telemedicine demonstration 
                                program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 5, 1997

  Mr. Murkowski (for himself and Mr. Baucus) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the 
  Health Care Financing Administration, to expand and strengthen the 
demonstration project known as the Medicare telemedicine demonstration 
                                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 ``Rural Telemedicine Demonstration Act 
of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Access to health care providers is critically important 
        to improving the health of individuals residing in rural areas.
            (2) Individuals residing in the rural areas of the Western 
        United States are severely underserved by both primary and 
        specialty health care providers.
            (3) Telecommunications technology has made it possible to 
        provide a wide range of vital health care services to 
        individuals residing in remote locations and over vast 
        distances at a fraction of the costs associated with the 
        provision of such services without such technology.
            (4) On February 17, 1997, the General Accounting Office 
        reported that Federal involvement in telehealth systems is 
        needed for the success of such systems.
            (5) In order for telehealth systems to continue to benefit 
        rural communities, the medicare program under title XVIII of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) must 
        eventually reimburse the provision of health care services to 
        remote locations via telecommunication.
            (6) The current Medicare telemedicine demonstration program 
        conducted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
        through the Health Care Financing Administration, does not 
        include any sites in rural areas of the Western United States. 
        Without such sites, such demonstration program will not provide 
        accurate indicators of the success of telemedicine.
            (7)(A) The fragmented nature of Alaska's transportation 
        infrastructure, as well as extremes in geography, climates, and 
        ethnography create severe problems for health care providers to 
        provide health care services to the individuals residing in 
        Alaska.
            (B) The Alaska Telemedicine Project is a statewide 
        telehealth project which overcomes infrastructure problems 
        within Alaska by uniting 40 public and private health care 
        providers across Alaska to provide health care services to the 
        residents of Alaska.
            (8)(A) Health care providers in Montana also experience 
        significant difficulties in providing health care services in 
        rural areas. Five independent telemedicine networks in Montana 
        have formed the Montana Healthcare Telecommunications Alliance 
        (MHTA), an association of telemedicine service providers 
        representing not-for-profit and public medical and mental 
        health facilities throughout the State.
            (B) The goal of the MHTA is to promote cost effective 
        statewide deployment of telemedicine services thereby 
        supporting public and private health care providers and 
        improving access to quality medical and mental health services 
        for all individuals residing in Montana.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, through the Health Care Financing 
Administration, shall expand the demonstration project known as the 
Medicare telemedicine demonstration program to include within such 
demonstration program the Alaska Telemedicine Project (described in 
section 2(7)) and the Montana Healthcare Telecommunications Alliance 
(described in section 2(8)).
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than March 1 of each year that 
the demonstration project described in subsection (a) is being 
conducted, the Secretary, through the Health Care Financing 
Administration, shall submit a report to Congress that contains--
            (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of such 
        demonstration project; and
            (2) any legislative recommendations determined appropriate 
        by the Secretary.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $2,000,000 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to carry out the purposes of the demonstration project described in 
subsection (a).
                                 <all>