[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1571 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1571

     To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate 
  discriminatory copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric services 
                      under the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2007

   Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mrs. Napolitano) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, 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 eliminate 
  discriminatory copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric services 
                      under the Medicare 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 ``Seniors Access to Mental Health Act 
of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Medicare program currently discriminates against 
        mental health services for seniors by charging more in 
        copayments for such services than for any other outpatient 
        health care services. This policy creates a barrier for seniors 
        who would benefit from effective mental health treatments and 
        increases costs to the Medicare program.
            (2) Despite the availability of proven treatments, the 
        Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has shown that 
        63 percent of seniors who need mental health treatments do not 
        receive it.
            (3) The Surgeon General attributes this large unmet need to 
        patient barriers (such as the reluctance of patients to discuss 
        psychological problems), provider barriers (such as difficulty 
        with respect to diagnosing and treating mental illness), and 
        health care system barriers (such as payment and coverage 
        policies).
            (4) Adjusting Medicare copayment rates for outpatient 
        psychiatric care to correspond with Medicare copayment rates 
        for all other health care services will integrate the diagnosis 
        and treatment of chronic diseases and mental illnesses, such as 
        depression, for more effective care and lower health care 
        costs.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATORY COPAYMENT RATES FOR MEDICARE 
              OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES.

    Section 1833(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(c)) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(c)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, with 
respect to expenses incurred in a calendar year in connection with the 
treatment of mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders of an 
individual who is not an inpatient of a hospital at the time such 
expenses are incurred, there shall be considered as incurred expenses 
for purposes of subsections (a) and (b)--
            ``(A) for expenses incurred in any year before 2008, only 
        62\1/2\ percent of such expenses;
            ``(B) for expenses incurred in 2008, only 68\3/4\ percent 
        of such expenses;
            ``(C) for expenses incurred in 2009, only 75 percent of 
        such expenses;
            ``(D) for expenses incurred in 2010, only 81\1/4\ percent 
        of such expenses;
            ``(E) for expenses incurred in 2011, only 87\1/2\ percent 
        of such expenses;
            ``(F) for expenses incurred in 2012, only 93\3/4\ percent 
        of such expenses; and
            ``(G) for expenses incurred in 2013, or any subsequent 
        year, 100 percent of such expenses.
    ``(2) For purposes of subparagraphs (A) through (F) of paragraph 
(1), the term `treatment' does not include brief office visits (as 
defined by the Secretary) for the sole purpose of monitoring or 
changing drug prescriptions used in the treatment of such disorders or 
partial hospitalization services that are not directly provided by a 
physician.''.
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