[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5344-S5345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3606. Mr. HICKENLOOPER submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for 
fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department 
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 718. PAYMENT ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUTPATIENT SERVICES FOR 
                   CERTAIN CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS.

       (a) Requirement.--Section 1079(i) of title 10, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
     paragraph (4):
       ``(4)(A) In addition to amounts paid under paragraph (2), 
     the Secretary shall pay an annual payment adjustment to a 
     children's hospital for outpatient services if the Secretary 
     determines that, with respect to the year covered by the 
     payment adjustment, the hospital meets one or more of the 
     following criteria:
       ``(i) 10 percent or more of the revenue of the hospital 
     comes from services provided to covered individuals under the 
     TRICARE program.
       ``(ii) The hospital received not fewer than 10,000 visits 
     by covered individuals that were paid under paragraph (2).
       ``(iii) The hospital has been determined by the Secretary 
     to be essential for operations of the TRICARE program.
       ``(B) The amount of the annual payment adjustment paid to a 
     children's hospital under subparagraph (A) shall be the 
     amount that is equal to 30 percent of payments made under the 
     Outpatient Prospective Payment System (or successor system) 
     to the children's hospital under paragraph (2) during

[[Page S5345]]

     the year covered by the annual payment adjustment for 
     outpatient services provided to covered individuals.
       ``(C) In this paragraph:
       ``(i) The term `children's hospital' means a provider of 
     services provided under a plan covered by this section that 
     is a children's hospital.
       ``(ii) The term `covered individual' means a member of the 
     armed forces serving on active duty or a dependent of such a 
     member.''.
       (b) Methodology and Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense 
     shall--
       (1) develop a payment methodology to determine the amounts 
     required to be paid under paragraph (4) of section 1079(i) of 
     title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a); and
       (2) prescribe joint regulations to carry out such payments 
     that are separate from the regulations concerning outpatient 
     prospective payments pursuant to paragraph (2) of such 
     section.
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