Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021”.
Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure coverage of mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth.
Sec. 2 Ensuring coverage for mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth
by striking “mental health services” and all that follows through “The geographic” and inserting “mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth.—The geographic”;
by striking “subject to subparagraph (B),”;
by inserting “, or for the provision of behavioral health services” after “or treatment of a mental health disorder”; and
by striking subparagraph (B).
Effective date— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect as if included in the enactment of section 123 of division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260).
Sec. 3 Study and report on utilization of mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth
Not later than 1 year after the first day after the end of the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B)), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report on the utilization of mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth under section 1834(m)(7) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(7)), that includes any recommendations of the Secretary regarding—
fraud or abuse prevention with respect to such services; and
additional funding that the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services may require for purposes of conducting audits, investigations, and other oversight and enforcement activities with respect to the furnishing of such services.