Skip to main content
S 671 111th Congress Senate

Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor servic… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under part B of the Medicare program, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 23, 2009 See on congress.gov
Health Health care coverage and accessHealth facilities and institutionsLong-term, rehabilitative, and terminal careMedicare
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Mental healthRural conditions and development
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 23, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mar 23, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action March 23, 2009

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), particularly those provided in rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and in hospice programs.

Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous) to exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system.

Authorizes marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 1693 Related bill Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 5
All 5 Democratic 4 Republican 1
D
Merkley, Jeff
Oregon · Apr 23, 2009
 D
Murray, Patty
Washington · Apr 20, 2009
 R
Barrasso, John
Wyoming · Mar 23, 2009
 D
Durbin, Richard J.
Illinois · Mar 23, 2009
 D
Wyden, Ron
Oregon · Mar 23, 2009
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 671: Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-671/
MLA
"S. 671: Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-671/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 671, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-671/.
Markdown link
[S. 671: Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-671/)
Report a problem