HR 4022 — Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act

(a) Contents A State plan for medical assistance must— (1) provide that it shall be in effect in all political subdivisions of the State, and, if administered by them, be mandatory upon them; (2) provide for financial participation by the State equal to not less than 40 per centum of the non-Federal share of the expenditures under the plan with respect to which payments under section 1396b of this title are authorized by this subchapter; and, effective July 1, 1969, provide for financial participation by the State equal to all of such non-Federal share or provide for distribution of funds from Federal or State sources, for carrying out the State plan, on an equalization or other basis which will assure that the lack of adequate funds from local sources will not result in lowering the amount, duration, scope, or quality of care and services available under the plan; (3) provide for granting an opportunity for a fair hearing before the State agency to any individual whose claim for medical assistance under the plan is denied or is not acted upon with reasonable promptness; (4) provide (A) such methods of administration (including methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis, except that the Secretary shall exercise no authority with respect to the selection, tenure of office, and compensation of any individual employed in accordance with such methods, including provision for utilization of professional medical personnel in the administration and, where administered locally, supervision of administration of the plan, and, subject to section 1396b(i) of this title, including a specification that the single State agency described in paragraph (5) will ensure necessary transportation for beneficiaries under the State plan to and from providers and a description of the methods that such agency will use to ensure such transportation) as are found by the Secretary to be necessary for the proper and efficient operation of the plan, (B) for the training and effective use of paid subprofessional staff, with particular emphasis on the full-time or part-time employment of recipients and other persons of low income, as community service aides, in the administration of the plan and for the use of nonpaid or partially paid volunteers in a social service volunteer program in providing services to applicants and recipients and in assisting any advisory committees established by the State agency, (C) that each State or local officer, employee, or independent contractor who is responsible for the expenditure of substantial amounts of funds under the State plan, each individual who formerly was such an officer, employee, or contractor, and each partner of such an officer, employee, or contractor shall be prohibited from committing any act, in relation to any activity under the plan, the commission of which, in connection with any activity concerning the United States Government, by an officer or employee of the United States Government, an individual who was such an officer or employee, or a partner of such an officer or employee is prohibited by section 207 or 208 of title 18, and (D) that each State or local officer, employee, or independent contractor who is responsible for selecting, awarding, or otherwise obtaining items and services under the State plan shall be subject to safeguards against conflicts of interest that are at least as stringent as the safeguards that apply under chapter 21 of title 41 to persons described in section 2102(a)(3) of title 41; (5) either provide for the establishment or designation of a single State agency to administer or to supervise the administration of the plan; or provide for the establishment or designation of a single State agency to administer or to supervise the administration of the plan, except that the determination of eligibility for medical assistance under the plan shall be made by the State or local agency administering the State plan approved un...

For purposes of this subchapter— (a) Medical assistance The term “medical assistance” means payment of part or all of the cost of the following care and services or the care and services themselves, or both (if provided in or after the third month before the month in which the recipient makes application for assistance or, in the case of medicare cost-sharing with respect to a qualified medicare beneficiary described in subsection (p)(1), if provided after the month in which the individual becomes such a beneficiary) for individuals, and, with respect to physicians’ or dentists’ services, at the option of the State, to individuals (other than individuals with respect to whom there is being paid, or who are eligible, or would be eligible if they were not in a medical institution, to have paid with respect to them a State supplementary payment and are eligible for medical assistance equal in amount, duration, and scope to the medical assistance made available to individuals described in section 1396a(a)(10)(A) of this title) not receiving aid or assistance under any plan of the State approved under subchapter I, X, XIV, or XVI, or part A of subchapter IV, and with respect to whom supplemental security income benefits are not being paid under subchapter XVI, who are— (i) under the age of 21, or, at the option of the State, under the age of 20, 19, or 18 as the State may choose, (ii) relatives specified in section 606(b)(1) 1 of this title with whom a child is living if such child is (or would, if needy, be) a dependent child under part A of subchapter IV, (iii) 65 years of age or older, (iv) blind, with respect to States eligible to participate in the State plan program established under subchapter XVI, (v) 18 years of age or older and permanently and totally disabled, with respect to States eligible to participate in the State plan program established under subchapter XVI, (vi) persons essential (as described in the second sentence of this subsection) to individuals receiving aid or assistance under State plans approved under subchapter I, X, XIV, or XVI, (vii) blind or disabled as defined in section 1382c of this title, with respect to States not eligible to participate in the State plan program established under subchapter XVI, (viii) pregnant women, (ix) individuals provided extended benefits under section 1396r–6 of this title, (x) individuals described in section 1396a(u)(1) of this title, (xi) individuals described in section 1396a(z)(1) of this title, (xii) employed individuals with a medically improved disability (as defined in subsection (v)), (xiii) individuals described in section 1396a(aa) of this title, (xiv) individuals described in section 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII) or 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(IX) of this title, (xv) individuals described in section 1396a(a)(10)(A)(ii)(XX) of this title, (xvi) individuals described in section 1396a(ii) of this title, (xvii) individuals who are eligible for home and community-based services under needs-based criteria established under paragraph (1)(A) of section 1396n(i) of this title, or who are eligible for home and community-based services under paragraph (6) of such section, and who will receive home and community-based services pursuant to a State plan amendment under such subsection, or (xviii) individuals who, but for earnings in excess of the limit established under subsection (q)(2)(B), would be considered to be receiving supplemental security income, and who are at least 16 years of age, but whose income and resources are insufficient to meet all of such cost— (1) inpatient hospital services (other than services in an institution for mental diseases); (2) (A) outpatient hospital services, (B) consistent with State law permitting such services, rural health clinic services (as defined in subsection (l)(1)) and any other ambulatory services which are offered by a rural health clinic (as defined in subsection (l)(1)) and which are otherwise included in the plan, and (C) Federally...