[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2205 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2205

To amend section 4723 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to assure that 
   the additional funds provided for State emergency health services 
 furnished to undocumented aliens are used to reimburse hospitals and 
their related providers that treat undocumented aliens and to increase 
         the funds so available for fiscal years 2000 and 2001.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 1999

    Mr. Bilbray (for himself, Mr. Hunter, Mrs. Bono, and Mr. Reyes) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend section 4723 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to assure that 
   the additional funds provided for State emergency health services 
 furnished to undocumented aliens are used to reimburse hospitals and 
their related providers that treat undocumented aliens and to increase 
         the funds so available for fiscal years 2000 and 2001.

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

SECTION 1. FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED TO 
              UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

    (a) Requiring Use of Funds To Assist Hospitals and Related 
Providers of Emergency Health Services to Undocumented Aliens.--Section 
4723(c) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (8 U.S.C. 1611 note) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--From the allotments made under 
        subsection (b), the Secretary shall pay to each State amounts 
        described in a State plan, submitted to the Secretary, under 
        which the amounts so allotted will be paid--
                    ``(A) to hospitals and related providers of 
                emergency health services to undocumented aliens that 
                are located in--
                            ``(i) a metropolitan statistical area with 
                        a population of 1,000,000 or more; or
                            ``(ii) a county that shares a border with 
                        Mexico or Canada; and
                    ``(B) in a manner that takes into account--
                            ``(i) each eligible hospital's or related 
                        provider's payments under the State plan 
                        approved under title XIX of the Social Security 
                        Act for emergency medical services described in 
                        section 1903(v)(2)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        1396b(v)(2)(A)); or
                            ``(ii) an appropriate alternative proxy for 
                        measuring the volume of emergency health 
                        services provided to undocumented aliens by 
                        eligible hospitals and related providers.
            ``(2) Definitions; special rules.--For purposes of this 
        subsection:
                    ``(A) The term `hospital' has the meaning given 
                such term in section 1861(e) of the Social Security Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 1395x(e).
                    ``(B) The term `provider' includes a physician, 
                another health care professional, and an entity that 
                furnishes emergency ambulance services.
                    ``(C) A provider shall be considered to be 
                `related' to a hospital to the extent that the provider 
                furnishes emergency health services to an individual 
                for whom the hospital also furnishes emergency health 
                services.
                    ``(D) Amounts paid under this subsection shall not 
                duplicate payment made under title XIX of the Social 
                Security Act for the provision of emergency medical 
                services described in section 1903(v)(2)(A) of such 
                Act.''.
    (b) Increase in Amount of Funds Available for Fiscal Years 2000 and 
2001.--Section 4723(a) of such Act is amended--
            (1) by striking ``4 consecutive fiscal years'' and 
        inserting ``2 consecutive fiscal years''; and
            (2) by inserting after ``$25,000,000'' the following: ``and 
        for each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001 ____,000,000''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section apply 
beginning with fiscal year 2000.
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