,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ciaj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bc1 #bjai,mr4 ,lewis 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,doggett1 ,mr4 ,evans1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,gomez1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 and ,ms4 ,snchez7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,xi of the ,social ,security ,act to improve access to care for all ,medicare and ,medicaid beneficiaries through models tested under the ,center for ,medicare and ,medicaid ,innovation1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,equality in ,medicare and ,medicaid ,treatment ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,improving access to care for ,medicare and ,medicaid beneficiaries ,section #aaae;,a of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acae;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a77#c7-- 7,a7 by inserting 1 the causes of health disparities and social determinants of health1 after medicine2 and 7,b7 by inserting 1 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 the ,office of ,rural ,health ,policy1 and the ,office on ,women's ,health2 7#b7 in subsection 7b7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7i7 in subparagraph 7,a7-- 7,i7 by inserting after the first sentence1 the following new sentence3 ,prior to model selection1 the ,secretary shall consult with the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 the ,federal ,office of ,rural ,health ,policy1 and the ,office on ,women's ,health to ensure that models under consideration address health disparities and social determinants of health as appropriate for populations to be cared for under the model42 7,,ii7 by inserting 1 as well as improving access to care received by individuals receiving benefits under such title1 after title2 and 7,,iii7 by adding at the end the following new sentence3 ,the models selected under this subparagraph shall include the social determinants of health payment model described in subparagraph 7,d71 the testing of which shall begin not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbj42 7ii7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by adding at the end the following new clauses3 7ix7 ,whether the model will affect access to care from providers and suppliers caring for high risk patients or operating in underserved areas4 7x7 ,whether the model has the potential to produce reductions in minority and rural health disparities4 2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,d7 ,social determinants of health payment model 7i7 ,in general ,the social determinants of health payment model described in this subparagraph is a payment model that tests each of the payment and service delivery innovations described in clause 7ii7 in a region determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7ii7 ,payment and service delivery innovations described ,for purposes of clause 7i71 the payment and service delivery innovations described in this clause are the following3 7,i7 ,payment and service delivery innovations for behavioral health services1 focusing on gathering actionable data to address the higher costs associated with beneficiaries with diagnosed behavioral conditions4 7,,ii7 ,payment and service delivery innovations targeting conditions or comorbidities of individuals entitled or enrolled under the ,medicare program under title ,,xviii and enrolled under a ,state plan under the ,medicaid program under title ,,xix to increase capacity in underserved areas4 7,,iii7 ,payment and service delivery innovations targeted on ,medicaid-eligible pregnant and postpartum women1 up to one year after delivery4 2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#d77;,a7-- 7i7 in clause 7i7 at the end1 by striking and2 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 at the end1 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7iii7 the extent to which the model improves access to care or the extent to which the model improves care for high risk patients1 patients from racial or ethnic minorities1 or patients in underserved areas4 2 7#c7 in subsection 7c7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking at the end and2 7,b7 by redesignating paragraph 7#c7 as paragraph 7#d72 7,c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#b7 the following new paragraph3 7#c7 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services certifies that such expansion will not reduce access to care for low-income1 minority1 or rural beneficiaries2 and 2 7,d7 in paragraph 7#d71 as redesignated by subparagraph 7,b71 by inserting before the period at the end the following3 nor increase health disparities experienced by low-income1 minority1 or rural beneficiaries2 and 7,e7 in the matter following paragraph 7#d71 as redesignated by subparagraph 7,b71 by inserting 1 improve access to care1 after care2 and 7#d7 in subsection 7g7-- 7,a7 by inserting 7or1 beginning with #bjba1 once every year thereafter7 after thereafter2 and 7,b7 by adding at the end the following new sentence3 ,for reports for #bjba and each subsequent year1 each such report shall include information on the following3 7#a7 ,the extent and severity of minority and rural health disparities in ,medicare and ,medicaid beneficiaries4 7#b7 ,the interventions that address social determinants of health in payment models selected by the ,center for ,medicare and ,medicaid ,innovation for testing4 7#c7 ,the interventions that address social determinants of health in payment models not selected by the ,center for ,medicare and ,medicaid ,innovation for testing4 7#d7 ,the effectiveness of interventions in mitigating negative health outcomes and higher costs associated with social determinants of health within models selected by the ,center for ,medicare and ,medicaid ,innovation for testing4 7#e7 ,changes in disparities among minorities and ,medicare and ,medicaid beneficiaries in underserved areas that are attributable to provider and supplier participation in a ,phase ,,ii model4 7#f7 ,in consultation with the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states1 estimated ,federal savings achieved through the reduction of rural and minority health disparities4 7#g7 ,other areas determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 4