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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H76F33C65D5E14A6C88941D79B068D904" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>118 HR 2859 IH: Holding Nonprofit Hospitals Accountable Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2023-04-25</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">118th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 2859</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20230425">April 25, 2023</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S000929">Mrs. Spartz</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HWM00">Committee on Ways and Means</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish new community benefit standards for tax-exempt hospital organizations, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HBFC31B9481384A358576D6D5A56E9B3C" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HF70A7A838FEF4ED08141EB778B5F5C4C" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Holding Nonprofit Hospitals Accountable Act</short-title></quote>. </text></section> <section id="H2545A1DE9C09400381DBE4828AE6B812"><enum>2.</enum><header>Additional requirements for certain hospitals</header> <subsection id="H7165F576452648D0998C626A3A071801"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">Section 501(r)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended—</text> 
<paragraph id="HF1D184006D66493F9091755B224DC962"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in paragraph (1), by striking <quote>and</quote> in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) and inserting <quote>, and</quote>, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: </text> <quoted-block style="OLC" id="H7DD5BAE7E10D429AA2145F34DE6DB45E" display-inline="no-display-inline"> <subparagraph id="HEB846D60B7814CDEA3930B9B40C0FA9D"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">meets the community benefit standard described in paragraph (7).</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>, </after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H49E31C4D90DA446D8ADE31024D1D1358"><enum>(2)</enum><text>by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8), and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H4108459CF6F84627AD297EEB774D2266"><enum>(3)</enum><text>by inserting after paragraph (6) the following new paragraph:</text> 
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="HB4653ABFB89849B0AB83ABCBEEE7ECC1" display-inline="no-display-inline"> 
<paragraph id="HDAD8FE6599EB4BB6A8805E888550ABF0"><enum>(7)</enum><header>Community benefit standard</header> 
<subparagraph id="HFF77CB9FB7214797B3AA889208BFBDF5"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text>A hospital organization meets the requirements of this paragraph if such organization—</text> <clause id="H2B13B08825E7402D81944B7C6DA0369A"><enum>(i)</enum><text>has a board of directors drawn from the community in which such organization is located, </text></clause> 
<clause id="HBB6C6705B0704B53985EF09377269E3C"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>both—</text> <subclause id="HA21FBA72868F41589641F5900504078C"><enum>(I)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">treats patients who pay their bills through public programs, including under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act or under the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act, and </text></subclause> 
<subclause id="H8C7A9D739DA340B2B6D80D4653E4D9E2"><enum>(II)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">does not limit the number of such patients served at any clinical site owned or controlled by such organization, and </text></subclause></clause> <clause id="H7EF9D2992B5A4458AF329DAF0DF290DF"><enum>(iii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">spends an amount which meets or exceeds the expenditure threshold for the taxable year on any combination of—</text> 
<subclause id="H4E99EEEF67EB4CC3BE73F31F392F9479"><enum>(I)</enum><text>training, education, or research designed to improve patient care,</text></subclause> <subclause id="HA4878911E1D641C383C6AD3D6D91B33B"><enum>(II)</enum><text>improvements to facilities and equipment except as provided in subparagraph (C), and</text></subclause> 
<subclause id="H4DF88B33D5B5403291E80C9234B6387B"><enum>(III)</enum><text>free or discounted care pursuant to a financial assistance policy.</text></subclause></clause></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HF1C76C8F16CF43928200F57C29064A2F"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Expenditure threshold</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">For purposes of this paragraph, the term <quote>expenditure threshold</quote> means 100 percent of the value of the Federal, State, and local tax exemptions of the hospital organization for the taxable year.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H2EE1C8FA75414016B0EFD7609106A6F8"><enum>(C)</enum><header>Special rules for improvements to facilities and equipment</header> 
<clause id="H92C59397C0DA40A4811B983EE45E7566"><enum>(i)</enum><header>In general</header><text>For purposes of clause (iii)(II) of subparagraph (A)—</text> <subclause id="H7042C5297E5E453FA88938D5F01A41CD"><enum>(I)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">expenditures under such clause may not be used to account for more than 50 percent of the minimum spending requirement under such subparagraph, and</text></subclause> 
<subclause id="H1F13427003A74B9CBE3E2F883AA03266"><enum>(II)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">expenditures for the acquisition of a physician practice, hospital, ambulatory surgical center, or any other care delivery organization shall not be taken into account as an improvement to facilities or equipment under such clause.</text></subclause></clause> <clause id="H6EBD9F8BA03541F48CDED929BCC94552"><enum>(ii)</enum><header>Care delivery organization</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">For purposes of clause (i), the term <quote>care delivery organization</quote> means an organization of people, institutions, and resources whose primary mission is to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of a target population.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H80EA1C8D64CC4AC993993594DEB235D1"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.</text></subsection></section> <section id="H622A71DC5BE549F0B5F4D6656D0F2843"><enum>3.</enum><header>Hospital organization financial assistance policy compliance requirements</header> <subsection id="HFCAF50DB1F8F44248A2D1337EF96CC9F"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">Section 501(r)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by the preceding provision of this Act, is further amended in paragraph (5)(A) by inserting <quote>according to Medicare rates with respect</quote> after <quote>billed</quote>. </text></subsection> 
<subsection id="H5033C50E6E064316A69571CDF87F4167"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The amendment made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.</text></subsection></section> <section id="HCFA3A8DC05CE41AEBEFC28C78A0027D4" commented="no"><enum>4.</enum><header>Financial assistance policy review and report</header> <subsection id="H7557ED0DF266430A85A88992CB48B404" commented="no"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Review</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration shall conduct a review of financial assistance policies of hospital organizations under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">section 501(r)(4)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="H1F8440D02A6B4807B3366AC2CEBB5864" commented="no"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 365 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on the results of the review conducted under subsection (a), including—</text> <paragraph id="HD7A4633AC4B94E21A46526196DE649BF" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the content of financial assistance policies of hospital organizations,</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H14D1640220744ED1806BD247B15C8B1F" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><text>compliance of hospital organizations with the financial assistance policy requirements of <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">section 501(r)(4)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H51EDED33D5164F50942EB687A7797FD3" commented="no"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">such other topics as are determined by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to be relevant to financial assistance policies. </text></paragraph></subsection></section> 
<section id="H87DE30614DAC4179AACD1C9549478832" commented="no"><enum>5.</enum><header>Internal Revenue Service enforcement review and report</header> 
<subsection id="H912DE17F4F0B4B04BED7597A2F52F1DD" commented="no"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Review</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review of the effectiveness of the Internal Revenue Service in enforcing compliance with the community benefit standard for hospital organizations under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">section 501(r)(7)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. </text></subsection> <subsection id="H53F47DD980C04FFCBBC9A66A071F2926" commented="no"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 365 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and no later than every three years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on the results of the review conducted under subsection (a). </text></subsection></section> 
</legis-body></bill>

