S. 1248 — EASE Act

This section requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI)—which tests innovative payment and service delivery models for Medicare (Title XVIII) and Medicaid (Title XIX) to reduce expenditures while preserving or enhancing care quality—to select and test a new Specialty Health Care Services Access Model. Under the model, the Secretary of Health and Human Services enters into agreements with one or more provider networks (1) comprised of at least 50 federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals (with at least half in rural areas); (2) that are 501(c)(3) nonprofits with a record of serving rural and underserved communities nationwide; and (3) that can collect, exchange, and evaluate data; to furnish Secretary-specified specialty health care services via digital modalities (e.g., telehealth) in coordination with primary care providers to eligible individuals, defined as Medicare beneficiaries (Parts A or B) or Medicaid/CHIP enrollees in rural or underserved areas who meet all program eligibility criteria. Amounts appropriated to carry out these amendments are subject to requirements in Public Law 117-328 applicable to Public Health Service Act programs for health centers and related services (42 U.S.C. 254b–256).