Jenkins measures to address rural health care access, mental health signed into law

Measures led by U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) to help emergency responders identify mental illness and to improve access to rural health care were signed into law with the 21st Century Cures Act.

Three bills introduced by Jenkins were included in the landmark 21st Century Cures Act signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday: the Mental Health First Aid Act, the Rural ACO Provider Equity Act and the Continuing Access to Hospitals (CAH) Act.“Passing the 21st Century Cures Act into law is more than just a symbolic gesture — it is a concrete move towards a brighter future,” Jenkins said. “This legislation holds the potential for many things, from speeding up the development of new drugs to aiming to cure cancer.”

The Mental Health First Aid Act, H.R. 1877, ensures that firefighters, police and first responders are trained to spot signs of mental illness during interactions with individuals.

The CAH Act, H.R. 5613, requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue instructing Medicare contractors not to enforce direct physician supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and rural hospitals.

“My bills that were included tackle wide-ranging priorities that affect every American, from rural healthcare services to building a stronger mental health network in America,” Jenkins said. “I have worked on these issues for many years – now with this bill’s passage, I look forward to continuing on from this foundation towards an even stronger American healthcare system in the future.”

The Rural ACO Provider Equity Act, H.R. 5667, would address current laws that only consider primary care services rendered by physicians to count toward CMS’s accountable care organization (ACO) savings scores.

H.R. 5667 will enable more small providers to participate in ACOs by allowing services rendered by physician assistants and nurse practitioners to count toward ACO primary care functions.