[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2932 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2932

    To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 
     guidance to State Medicaid agencies, public housing agencies, 
Continuums of Care, and housing finance agencies on connecting Medicaid 
beneficiaries with housing-related services and supports under Medicaid 
          and other housing resources, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 26 (legislative day, September 22), 2023

 Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Booker) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 
     guidance to State Medicaid agencies, public housing agencies, 
Continuums of Care, and housing finance agencies on connecting Medicaid 
beneficiaries with housing-related services and supports under Medicaid 
          and other housing resources, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Housing Alignment and Coordination 
of Critical and Effective Supportive Health Services Act'' or the 
``Housing ACCESS Act''.

SEC. 2. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON CONNECTING MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES WITH 
              HOUSING-RELATED SERVICES AND SUPPORTS AND OTHER HOUSING 
              RESOURCES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall issue guidance to State Medicaid 
agencies, public housing agencies, Continuums of Care, and housing 
finance agencies to connect individuals who are receiving medical 
assistance under a State Medicaid program to Medicaid housing-related 
services and supports and other housing resources in an integrated 
manner.
    (b) Required Information.--The guidance issued pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall include information on--
            (1) simplifying health care services for housing and 
        homelessness service providers and simplifying housing support 
        services for health care service providers to understand the 
        respective sectors;
            (2) developing a memorandum of understanding between State 
        Medicaid agencies, public housing agencies, Continuums of Care, 
        and housing finance agencies that--
                    (A) coordinates housing-related services and 
                supports provided under a State Medicaid program with 
                other housing resources by aligning--
                            (i) eligibility criteria;
                            (ii) eligibility determination processes; 
                        and
                            (iii) outcome measures, including housing 
                        stability and health outcomes disaggregated by 
                        race;
                    (B) encourages providers of housing-related 
                services and supports to seek reimbursement for such 
                services and supports through the State Medicaid 
                program, including by--
                            (i) explaining how such providers may 
                        receive such reimbursement;
                            (ii) helping such providers understand the 
                        eligibility determination process for housing-
                        related services and supports offered under the 
                        State Medicaid program; and
                            (iii) providing guidance with respect to 
                        tracking common outcome measures, including 
                        housing stability and health outcomes 
                        disaggregated by race; and
            (3) existing authorities under which a State Medicaid 
        program may make Federal funds available to providers of 
        housing-related services and supports to build information 
        technology and financial systems and establish adequate 
        infrastructure and staffing levels to seek Medicaid 
        reimbursement.
    (c) Reporting.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a report to Congress that 
includes--
            (1) information on the progress of State Medicaid agencies, 
        public housing agencies, Continuums of Care, and housing 
        finance agencies in aligning eligibility criteria, eligibility 
        determination processes, and outcome tracking;
            (2) information on the adoption by such agencies and 
        Continuums of Care of recommendations made in the guidance 
        issued pursuant to subsection (a); and
            (3) feedback from States on such guidance and challenges 
        faced by States in connecting individuals receiving medical 
        assistance under a State Medicaid program with housing-related 
        services and supports and other housing resources.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Continuum of care.--The term ``Continuum of Care'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 578.3 of title 24, Code 
        of Federal Regulations.
            (2) State medicaid program.--The term ``State Medicaid 
        program'' means a State plan for medical assistance under title 
        XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), and 
        includes any waiver of such a plan.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL RATE STUDY ON THE COST OF HOUSING-RELATED SERVICES AND 
              SUPPORTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall conduct a 
national rate study on the cost of housing-related services and 
supports to determine appropriate rates for such services and supports 
that will allow providers of such services and supports to pay living 
wages, reduce staff turnover, and ensure a maximum case manager-to-
client ratio of 1:15 in alignment with the evidence-base for strong 
supportive housing outcomes. Such study shall include an analysis of 
reimbursement rates for services provided by certified community 
behavioral health clinics (as such term is used in section 223 of the 
Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note)) and 
Federally-qualified health centers (as defined in section 1905(l)(2)(B) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2)(B))) that promote 
integrated care, which may include, but is not limited to, housing-
related supports and services, and serve people with complex 
conditions.
    (b) Publication.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish the results of the 
study conducted under this section as guidance to State Medicaid 
agencies.
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