[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1715 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1715

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 2007

 Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Smith, Mr. Biden, Ms. Collins, 
 and Mr. Reed) 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 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 ``Medicare Mental Health Copayment 
Equity Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. 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 calendar year that 
        begins before the date of enactment of the Medicare Mental 
        Health Copayment Equity Act of 2007 (including the calendar 
        year in which such Act is enacted), only 62\1/2\ percent of 
        such expenses;
            ``(B) for expenses incurred in the first calendar year that 
        begins after the date of enactment of such Act, only 68\3/4\ 
        percent of such expenses;
            ``(C) for expenses incurred in the second calendar year 
        that begins after the date of enactment of such Act, only 75 
        percent of such expenses;
            ``(D) for expenses incurred in the third calendar year that 
        begins after the date of enactment of such Act, only 81\1/4\ 
        percent of such expenses;
            ``(E) for expenses incurred in the fourth calendar year 
        that begins after the date of enactment of such Act, only 87\1/
        2\ percent of such expenses;
            ``(F) for expenses incurred in the fifth calendar year that 
        begins after the date of enactment of such Act, only 93\3/4\ 
        percent of such expenses; and
            ``(G) for expenses incurred in the sixth calendar year that 
        begins after the date of enactment of such Act, or any 
        subsequent calendar 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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