[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 655 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 655

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude clinical 
social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing 
                  facility prospective payment system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 9, 1999

Mr. Stark (for himself, Mr. Leach, Mr. Towns, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Bentsen, 
Mr. Meehan, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. 
 Weygand, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Frost, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. 
 Brown of Ohio, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Kilpatrick, Ms. Rivers, Mr. Sanders, 
 Mr. Bonior, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Strickland, 
  and Mr. George Miller of California) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition 
     to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude clinical 
social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing 
                  facility prospective payment system.

    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 ``Medicare Social Work Equity Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUDING CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER SERVICES FROM COVERAGE UNDER 
              THE MEDICARE SKILLED NURSING FACILITY PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT 
              SYSTEM AND CONSOLIDATED PAYMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 1888(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395yy(e)(2)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting ``clinical 
social worker services,'' after ``qualified psychologist services,''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1861(hh)(2) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(2)) is amended by striking ``and other than services 
furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility which the 
facility is required to provide as a requirement for participation''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section apply as 
if included in the enactment of section 4432(a) of the Balanced Budget 
Act of 1997.
                                 <all>