Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021
Latest action · Jun 15, 2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 15, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021
This bill eliminates certain restrictions relating to Medicare coverage of mental health services that are provided through telehealth.
Current law allows for coverage of such services regardless of the geographic location of the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, as long as the beneficiary previously received in-person services and continues to receive in-person services at specified intervals. The bill eliminates these in-person requirements.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 15, 2021 to May 19, 2022; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Jun 15, 2021 |
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | Jun 15, 2021 |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Original | Jun 15, 2021 |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Feb 7, 2022 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Feb 7, 2022 | |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Mar 7, 2022 | |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Mar 10, 2022 | |
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Mar 23, 2022 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Apr 4, 2022 | |
| D-AZ | Mark Kelly | May 2, 2022 | |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | May 19, 2022 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Jun 15, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 15, 2021Introduced in Senate
- Jun 15, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 4
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 117-823 | BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE WHEN AMERICANS NEED IT: ENSURING PARITY AND CARE INTEGRATION165 pages | Finance Committee | Mar 30, 2022 |
| S. Hrg. 117-775 | PROTECTING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: PART II--IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO CARE173 pages | Finance Committee | Feb 15, 2022 |
| S. Hrg. 117-387 | MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: RESPONDING TO THE GROWING CRISIS122 pages | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Feb 1, 2022 |
| S. Hrg. 117-628 | MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA: ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES AND IDENTIFYING POLICY SOLUTIONS125 pages | Finance Committee | Jun 15, 2021 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4058 | Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021 | Related bill | Jun 23, 2021 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure coverage of mental health services furnished through telehealth.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Accounting and auditing
- Congressional oversight
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government studies and investigations
- Health
- Health care coverage and access
- Health programs administration and funding
- Health technology, devices, supplies
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Medicare
- Mental health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 15, 2021Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
