[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2784 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2784

  To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and 
       nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 2009

Mr. Thornberry introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and 
       nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Partnership to Improve Seniors 
Access to Medicare Act''.

SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR QUALIFYING PHYSICIANS AND NURSE 
              PRACTITIONERS PARTICIPATING IN MEDICARE.

    (a) Loans.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this 
section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a program of 
entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which--
            (1) the eligible individual agrees--
                    (A) to serve as a physician or nurse practitioner 
                who is a participating physician or supplier (as 
                defined in section 1842(h)(1) of the Social Security 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(h)(1))); and
                    (B) subject to subsection (b), to accept, to the 
                greatest extent possible, Medicare individuals who seek 
                the services of such eligible individual; and
            (2) the Secretary agrees to pay on behalf of the eligible 
        individual, for each year the eligible individual is in 
        compliance with subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1), not 
        more than $20,000 of the principal and interest on government 
        and commercial loans received by the eligible individual 
        regarding the undergraduate or graduate education (or both) of 
        the eligible individual.
    (b) Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), for an eligible 
        individual to be in compliance with subsection (a)(1)(B) with 
        respect to a year, at least 30 percent of the number of 
        individuals to whom the eligible individual furnishes services 
        during such year must be Medicare individuals.
            (2) Application to group practices.--In the case of an 
        eligible individual in a medical group practice, for such 
        individual to be in compliance with subsection (a)(1)(B) with 
        respect to a year, at least 30 percent of the number of 
        individuals to whom such group practice furnishes services 
        during such year must be Medicare individuals.
    (c) Eligible Individuals.--In this section, the term ``eligible 
individual'' means an individual who--
            (1) has a degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine or who 
        is certified as a nurse practitioner; and
            (2) submits to the Secretary an application for a contract 
        described in subsection (a), in a manner and time, and 
        containing such information, as specified by the Secretary.
    (d) Medicare Individual Defined.--In this section, the term 
``Medicare individual'' means an individual who is entitled to benefits 
under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act and enrolled 
under part B of such title.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for 
each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2014.
                                 <all>