S. 2356

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To expand psychological mental and behavioral health services to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP beneficiaries by permitting reimbursement of psychological services provided by certain supervised psychology trainees, and facilitating the reimbursement of those services.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES · July 17, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Barrasso · Committee: Committee on Finance

Table of contents

• S. 2356
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Coverage and coding for qualified psychologist services furnished by advanced psychology trainees under the Medicare program
  • SEC. 3. Guidance to States on coverage of services provided by advanced psychology trainees under Medicaid and CHIP

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the or the .

SEC. 2. Coverage and coding for qualified psychologist services furnished by advanced psychology trainees under the Medicare program

• (a) Coverage
  • (1) In general
    • Section 1861(ii) of the Social Security Act () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1395x(ii)
      • by inserting after ;
      • in paragraph (1), as added by subparagraph (A), by inserting after ; and
        • In this subsection:
          • The term advanced psychology trainee means—
            • (i) a doctoral intern who is completing a required period of supervised experiential training through a program accredited by the American Psychological Association, not less than one year in duration, before being awarded a doctoral degree; or
            • (ii) a postdoctoral resident who has obtained a doctoral degree in psychology, is seeking a license to practice psychology, and is engaged in a 1- or 2-year period of additional supervised experiential training to acquire the skills or hours required for licensure through a program accredited by the American Psychological Association or a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers.
          • The term general supervision means, with respect to a service, that the service is furnished under the overall direction and control of a clinical psychologist (as defined for purposes of paragraph (1)), but the supervising psychologist's presence is not required during the furnishing of the service.
      • by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
  • (2) Effective date
    • The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to services furnished on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
• (b) Development of GC modifier code
  • Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop a modifier code to identify and accurately bill for services furnished by an advanced psychology trainee pursuant to the amendments made by subsection (a). GC

SEC. 3. Guidance to States on coverage of services provided by advanced psychology trainees under Medicaid and CHIP

• Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue and disseminate guidance to States on strategies to overcome existing barriers to coverage of services furnished by advanced psychology trainees (as defined under section 1861(ii)(2) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 2(a), through the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act () and the Children’s Health Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act ()). Such guidance shall include technical assistance and best practices regarding each of the following: 42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.
  • Recommended legal mechanisms for activating coverage of services furnished by advanced psychology trainees under such programs.
  • Recommended billing codes and code modifiers for services furnished by advanced psychology trainees.
  • Examples of States that have used waivers under the Medicaid program or Children's Health Insurance Program to enable coverage of services furnished by advanced psychology trainees under such programs.