Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB1248 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 1248
5	5	To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require the Center for
6	6	Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a model to improve access
7	7	to specialty health services for certain Medicare and Medicaid bene-
8	8	ficiaries.
9	9	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
10	10	APRIL2, 2025
11	11	Mr. M
12	12	ULLIN(for himself, Mr. PADILLA, and Mr. TILLIS) introduced the
13	13	following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
14	14	A BILL
15	15	To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require
16	16	the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test
17	17	a model to improve access to specialty health services
18	18	for certain Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
19	19	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
20	20	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
21	21	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
22	22	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Access to 4
23	23	Specialty Care Everywhere Act’’ or the ‘‘EASE Act’’. 5
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26	26	•S 1248 IS
27	27	SEC. 2. REQUIRING THE CENTER FOR MEDICARE AND MED-1
28	28	ICAID INNOVATION TO TEST A MODEL TO IM-2
29	29	PROVE ACCESS TO SPECIALTY HEALTH SERV-3
30	30	ICES FOR CERTAIN MEDICARE AND MED-4
31	31	ICAID BENEFICIARIES. 5
32	32	(a) I
33	33	NGENERAL.—Section 1115A of the Social Secu-6
34	34	rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1315a) is amended— 7
35	35	(1) in subsection (b)(2)— 8
36	36	(A) in subparagraph (A), in the third sen-9
37	37	tence, by inserting ‘‘, and shall include the 10
38	38	model described in subparagraph (B)(xxviii)’’ 11
39	39	before the period at the end; and 12
40	40	(B) in subparagraph (B), by adding at the 13
41	41	end the following new clause: 14
42	42	‘‘(xxviii) The Specialty Health Care 15
43	43	Services Access Model described in sub-16
44	44	section (h).’’; and 17
45	45	(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-18
46	46	section: 19
47	47	‘‘(h) S
48	48	PECIALTYHEALTHCARESERVICESACCESS 20
49	49	M
50	50	ODEL.— 21
51	51	‘‘(1) I
52	52	N GENERAL.—For purposes of subsection 22
53	53	(b)(2)(B)(xxviii), the Specialty Health Care Services 23
54	54	Access Model described in this subsection is a model 24
55	55	under which the Secretary enters into an agreement 25
56	56	with one or more provider networks selected in ac-26
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60	60	cordance with paragraph (2) for purposes of fur-1
61	61	nishing specialty health care services (as specified by 2
62	62	the Secretary) to eligible individuals through the use 3
63	63	of digital modalities (such as telehealth and other re-4
64	64	mote technologies) in coordination with such individ-5
65	65	uals’ primary care providers. 6
66	66	‘‘(2) S
67	67	ELECTION OF PROVIDER NETWORKS .— 7
68	68	The Secretary shall select one or more networks of 8
69	69	providers for purposes of furnishing services under 9
70	70	the model described in paragraph (1). Any such net-10
71	71	work so selected shall— 11
72	72	‘‘(A) be comprised of at least 50 Federally 12
73	73	qualified health centers, rural health clinics, 13
74	74	critical access hospitals, or rural emergency 14
75	75	hospitals, at least half of which are located in 15
76	76	rural areas (as defined by the Administrator of 16
77	77	the Health Resources and Services Administra-17
78	78	tion); 18
79	79	‘‘(B) be a nonprofit entity under section 19
80	80	501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 20
81	81	1986; 21
82	82	‘‘(C) have an established record of sup-22
83	83	porting the delivery of health care in rural and 23
84	84	underserved communities in multiple regions 24
85	85	throughout the country; and 25
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89	89	‘‘(D) have the ability to collect, exchange, 1
90	90	and evaluate data for purposes of the model de-2
91	91	scribed in paragraph (1). 3
92	92	‘‘(3) E
93	93	LIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED .—For 4
94	94	purposes of this subsection, the term ‘eligible indi-5
95	95	vidual’ means an individual— 6
96	96	‘‘(A) who— 7
97	97	‘‘(i) is entitled to benefits under part 8
98	98	A of title XVIII or enrolled under part B 9
99	99	of such title; or 10
100	100	‘‘(ii) is enrolled under the Medicaid 11
101	101	program under title XIX or the Children’s 12
102	102	Health Insurance Program under title XXI 13
103	103	and meets all components for eligibility for 14
104	104	medical assistance, child health assistance, 15
105	105	or pregnancy-related assistance (as appli-16
106	106	cable), including those described in sec-17
107	107	tions 1902(a)(46)(B) and 1137(d); and 18
108	108	‘‘(B) who is located in a rural or under-19
109	109	served area (as specified by the Secretary).’’. 20
110	110	(b) L
111	111	IMITATION.—Any amounts appropriated or allo-21
112	112	cated to carry out the amendments made by this section 22
113	113	shall be subject to the requirements contained in Public 23
114	114	Law 117–328 for funds for programs authorized under 24
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117	117	•S 1248 IS
118	118	sections 330 through 340 of the Public Health Service Act 1
119	119	(42 U.S.C. 254b through 256). 2
120	120	Æ
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