[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 343 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 343

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit direct 
payment under the medicare program for clinical social worker services 
          provided to residents of skilled nursing facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 11, 2003

Ms. Mikulski (for herself, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. 
 Corzine, Mr. Inouye, and Mr. Bingaman) 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 permit direct 
payment under the medicare program for clinical social worker services 
          provided to residents of skilled nursing facilities.

    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 ``Clinical Social Work Medicare Equity 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING DIRECT PAYMENT UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM FOR 
              CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER SERVICES PROVIDED TO RESIDENTS OF 
              SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES.

    (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 shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after the date that 
regulations relating to payment for physicians' services for calendar 
year 2003 take effect, but in no case later than the first day of the 
third month beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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