HR1867Referred to Committee

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology.

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2025-03-05
Introduced
4
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern
Republican · OK · Representative
Votes with party: 97.0% (538 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/H001082

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (4)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

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.

2025-03-05

Source: Congress.gov

Plain-English Summary

The bill would allow Medicare to cover mental health services delivered remotely through video calls or other telecommunications technology without requiring patients to have an in-person visit first, making it easier for seniors and people with disabilities to access counseling and psychiatric care from home. Currently, Medicare has restrictions that often require an initial face-to-face appointment before telehealth mental health services can begin, which can be a barrier for people in rural areas or those with mobility challenges. This change would expand access to mental health treatment for the roughly 65 million Medicare beneficiaries across the country.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

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Subjects

Health

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 1867 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1867 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 5, 2025 Mr. Hern of Oklahoma (for himself, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Lee of Nevada, and Ms. Malliotakis) 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 remove in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. REMOVING THE IN-PERSON REQUIREMENTS UNDER MEDICARE FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED THROUGH TELEHEALTH AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY. (a) In General.--Section 1834(m)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(7)) is amended to read as follows: ``(7) Treatment of substance use disorder services and mental health services furnished through telehealth.--The geographic requirements described in paragraph (4)(C)(i) shall not apply with respect to telehealth services furnished on or after July 1, 2020, to an eligible telehealth individual with a substance use disorder diagnosis for purposes of treatment of such disorder or co-occurring mental health disorder, as determined by the Secretary, or, on or after the first day after the end of the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B), to an eligible telehealth individual for purposes of diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of a mental health disorder, as determined by the Secretary, at an originating site described in paragraph (4)(C)(ii) (other than an originating site described in subclause (IX) of such paragraph) or, for the period for which clause (iii) of paragraph (4)(C) applies, at any site described in such clause.''. (b) Mental Health Visits Furnished by Rural Health Clinics.-- Section 1834(y)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(y)(2)) is amended by striking ``prior to April 1, 2025''. (c) Mental Health Visits Furnished by Federally Qualified Health Centers.--Section 1834(o)(4)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(o)(4)(B)) is amended by striking ``prior to April 1, 2025''. <all>
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