Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act

Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act

This bill provides statutory authority for the requirement that state Medicaid programs cover nonemergency transportation to medically necessary items and services. The bill also requires programs, as a condition of federal payment for such services, to have transportation coordination plans and utilization management guidelines.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2846 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2846

   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
      continuing requirement of Medicaid coverage of nonemergency 
transportation to medically necessary items and services, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 13, 2019

Mr. Isakson (for himself and Mr. Brown) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
      continuing requirement of Medicaid coverage of nonemergency 
transportation to medically necessary items and services, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Patients Transportation 
to Care Act''.

SEC. 2. CONTINUING REQUIREMENT OF MEDICAID COVERAGE OF NONEMERGENCY 
              TRANSPORTATION TO MEDICALLY NECESSARY ITEMS AND SERVICES.

    (a) Requirement.--Section 1902(a)(10) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause 
        (i), by striking ``and (29)'' and inserting ``, (29), and 
        (30)''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (C)(iv), by striking ``and (17)'' and 
        inserting ``, (17), and (30)''.
    (b) Description of Items and Services.--Section 1905 of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396d) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (29), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (30) as paragraph 
                (31); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (29) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(30) subject to subsection (gg), nonemergency 
        transportation to medically necessary items and services, 
        consistent with the requirement of section 431.53 of title 42, 
        Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect as of June 1, 2019; 
        and''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(gg) Nonemergency Transportation to Medically Necessary Items and 
Services.--
            ``(1) Limitation on federal financial participation.--
        Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, to be 
        eligible for federal financial participation under this title 
        for expenses incurred as medical assistance or as an 
        administrative expense for nonemergency transportation to 
        medically necessary items and services described in subsection 
        (a)(30), the State Medicaid agency of such State must have in 
        place a transportation coordination plan and utilization 
        management guidelines for the design and delivery of 
        nonemergency transportation to medically necessary items and 
        services.
            ``(2) Transportation coordination plan.--For purposes of 
        paragraph (1), the term `transportation coordination plan' 
        means a process that provides and improves--
                    ``(A) access to non-emergency transportation to 
                medically necessary items and services to improve--
                            ``(i) attendance at appointments for the 
                        furnishing of items and services for which 
                        medical assistance is available under this 
                        title; and
                            ``(ii) health outcomes; and
                    ``(B) coordination in the planning of 
                transportation services provided with Federal 
                assistance, including coordination with transportation 
                providers receiving assistance under this title or from 
                other Federal sources.''.
    (c) Interagency Transportation Coordinating Council on Access and 
Mobility.--The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services shall be a member of the Interagency Transportation 
Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility established under Executive 
Order No. 13330 (49 U.S.C. 101 note) and shall participate fully in the 
activities of the Council.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to 
transportation on or after such date.
                                 <all>