Border Hospital Relief Act

Border Hospital Relief Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible border hospitals to assist the hospitals with the costs of providing emergency medical services to qualifying undocumented aliens. Authorizes appropriations.

[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4973 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4973

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program 
   regarding the unreimbursed costs of border hospitals in providing 
           emergency medical services to undocumented aliens.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2000

  Mr. Kolbe introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program 
   regarding the unreimbursed costs of border hospitals in providing 
           emergency medical services to undocumented aliens.

    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 ``Border Hospital Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM REGARDING EMERGENCY HEALTH 
              SERVICES PROVIDED BY ELIGIBLE BORDER HOSPITALS TO CERTAIN 
              UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

    Subpart I of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
section:

``SEC. 330E. EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED BY ELIGIBLE BORDER 
              HOSPITALS TO CERTAIN UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to eligible border 
hospitals to assist the hospitals with the costs of providing emergency 
medical services to qualifying undocumented aliens.
    ``(b) Eligible Border Hospital; Other Terms.--For purposes of this 
section:
            ``(1) A hospital is a border hospital if the hospital is 
        located in the United States in a county or other political 
        subdivision that is contiguous with the border between the 
        United States and Mexico.
            ``(2) A border hospital is an eligible border hospital if 
        the number of cases in which the border hospital provides 
        emergency medical care to qualifying undocumented aliens is 
        significantly above the number of cases in which other border 
        hospitals provide emergency medical care to such aliens.
            ``(3) A qualifying undocumented alien is an undocumented 
        alien--
                    ``(A) who is not eligible for medical assistance 
                under the State plan under title XIX of the Social 
                Security Act (for the State in which the border 
                hospital involved is located); or
                    ``(B) for whom eligibility to receive medical 
                assistance under such State plan is difficult to 
                determine.
            ``(4) An undocumented alien is an individual who is not in 
        possession of any of the following:
                    ``(A) A driver's license issued by a State, or 
                other document indicating that the individual is a 
                citizen or national of the United States.
                    ``(B) An unexpired immigrant visa, nonimmigrant 
                visa, reentry permit, border crossing identification 
                card, or other entry document under the Immigration and 
                Nationality Act.
    ``(c) Relationship to Payments Under Other Programs.--A grant may 
be made under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that 
the grant will not be expended to pay the costs of providing emergency 
medical services to qualifying undocumented aliens to the extent that 
payment has been made, or can reasonably be expected to be made, with 
respect to such costs--
            ``(1) under any State compensation program, under an 
        insurance policy, or under any Federal or State health benefits 
        program; or
            ``(2) by an entity that provides health services on a 
        prepaid basis.
    ``(d) Application for Grant.--A grant may be made under subsection 
(a) only if an application for the grant is submitted to the Secretary 
and the application is in such form, is made in such manner, and 
contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary 
determines to be necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(e) Amount of Grant.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the amount of 
        a grant under subsection (a) to an eligible border hospital 
        shall be based on the amount of the unreimbursed costs incurred 
        by the hospital in providing emergency medical services to 
        qualifying undocumented aliens.
            ``(2) Priority.--In determining the amount of a grant under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
        border hospitals that have 100 or fewer inpatient beds.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 
for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2002 through 2005.''.
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