[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 654 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 654

   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to cover physician 
services delivered by podiatric physicians to ensure access by Medicaid 
       beneficiaries to appropriate quality foot and ankle care.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 19, 2009

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to cover physician 
services delivered by podiatric physicians to ensure access by Medicaid 
       beneficiaries to appropriate quality foot and ankle care.

    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 ``Equity and Access for Podiatric 
Physicians Under Medicaid Act''.

SEC. 2. INCLUDING PODIATRISTS AS PHYSICIANS UNDER THE MEDICAID PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 1905(a)(5)(A) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396d(a)(5)(A)) is amended by striking ``section 
1861(r)(1)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (1) and (3) of section 
1861(r)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to services 
        furnished on or after January 1, 2010.
            (2) Extension of effective date for state law amendment.--
        In the case of a State plan under title XIX of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) which the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services determines requires State legislation 
        in order for the plan to meet the additional requirement 
        imposed by the amendment made by subsection (a), the State plan 
        shall not be regarded as failing to comply with the 
        requirements of such title solely on the basis of its failure 
        to meet these additional requirements before the first day of 
        the first calendar quarter beginning after the close of the 
        first regular session of the State legislature that begins 
        after the date of enactment of this Act. For purposes of the 
        previous sentence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year 
        legislative session, each year of the session is considered to 
        be a separate regular session of the State legislature.
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