,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #aiif  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #i1 #bjbe
 ,ms4 ,warren 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,paul1 
,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4    
,welch1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 and
 ,mr4 ,booker7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to amend title ,,xviii of the ,social
 ,security ,act to improve coverage of  
audiology services under the ,medicare  
program1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title  ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,medicare ,audiology ,access       
,improvement ,act of #bjbe4  #b4        
,coverage of audiology services under   
the ,medicare program  7a7  ,in general 
,section #ahfa7s77#b7 of the ,social    
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciex7s77#b77 is amended--  7#a7 in    
subparagraph 7,,jj71 by inserting and   
after the semicolon at the end2 and     
7#b7 by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph3  7,,kk7 audiology     

services 7as defined in subsection      
7ll77#c772  4  7b7  ,improved access to 
audiology services  ,paragraph 7#c7 of  
section #ahfa7ll7 of the ,social        
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciex7ll77 is amended to read as       
follows3  7#c7 ,the term audiology      
services means such hearing and balance 
assessment services and1 beginning      
,january #a1 #bjbg1 such treatment      
services1 furnished by a qualified      
audiologist which the qualified         
audiologist is legally authorized to    
perform under ,state law 7or the        
regulatory mechanism provided by ,state 
law71 as would otherwise be covered if  
furnished by a physician or as incident 
to a physician's service4 ,a qualified  
audiologist shall be permitted to       
furnish such audiology services without 
regard to any requirement that the      
individual receiving such audiology     
services is under the care of 7or       
referred by7 a physician or other health
 care practitioner or that such services

 are furnished under the supervision of 
a physician or other health care        
practitioner4  4  7c7  ,payment amount  
and coinsurance  ,section #ahcc7;a77#a7 
of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #aciel7a77#a77 is amended--   
7#a7 by striking and before 7,,hh72 and 
7#b7 by inserting the following before  
the semicolon3 and 7,,ii7 with respect  
to audiology services furnished under   
section #ahfa7s77#b77,,kk71 the amounts 
paid shall be #hj percent of the lesser 
of the actual charge for the services or
 the fee schedule amount provided under 
section #ahdh4  7d7  ,payment on        
assignment-,related basis  ,section     
#ahdb7;b77#ah77;,c7 of the ,social      
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#acieu7b77#ah77;,c77 is amended by      
adding at the end the following new     
clause3  7ix7 ,a qualified audiologist  
7as defined in section                  
#ahfa7ll77#d77;,b774  4  7e7 ,inclusion 
of qualified audiologists as ,,rhc and  
,,fqhc practitioners ,section           

#ahfa7;aa77#a77;,b7 of the ,social      
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciex7aa77#a77;,b77 is amended--  7#a7 
by striking or by a mental and inserting
 by a mental2 and  7#b7 by inserting or 
by a qualified audiologist 7as defined  
in subsection 7ll77#d77;,b771 after 7as 
defined in subsection 7lll77#d7714  7f7 
,rule of construction  ,nothing in the  
amendments made by this section shall be
 construed to expand the scope of       
audiology services or services for which
 payment may be made to other providers 
under title ,,xviii of the ,social      
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie et  
seq47 beyond those services for which   
such payment may be made as of ,december
 #ca1 #bjbf4  7g7  ,effective date  ,the
 amendments made by this section shall  
apply to items and services furnished on
 or after ,january #a1 #bjbg4