CHEER Act

Children's Hospitals Educational Equity and Research Act or the CHEER Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY2010 (currently, through FY2005) to children's hospitals for expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs.

Excludes reductions for unused resident positions when calculating the number of full-time residents in a children's hospital's approved training program for purposes of reimbursing direct expenses.

Requires the Secretary to adjust the proportion of such a hospital's costs attributable to wages for differences in hospital wage levels by geographic area.

Authorizes appropriations through FY2010 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating such programs.

Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) perinatal hospitals play an important role in providing quality care and ensuring the best possible outcomes for thousands of seriously ill newborns each year; and (2) medical training programs at perinatal hospitals give providers essential training in treating healthy mothers and babies as well as patients in neonatal intensive care units.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 285 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 285

  To reauthorize the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education 
                                Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 3, 2005

   Mr. Bond (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. DeWine, and Mrs. Murray) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reauthorize the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education 
                                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 ``Children's Hospitals Educational 
Equity and Research Act'' or the ``CHEER Act''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS GRADUATE MEDICAL 
              EDUCATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Extension of Program.--Section 340E(a) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e(a)) is amended by striking ``2005'' and 
inserting ``2010''.
    (b) Direct Graduate Medical Education.--Section 340E(c) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``but without giving 
        effect to section 1886(h)(7) of such Act)'' after ``section 
        1886(h)(4) of the Social Security Act''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)(E)(ii), by striking ``described in 
        subparagraph (C)(ii)'' and inserting ``applied under section 
        1886(d)(3)(E) of the Social Security Act for discharges 
        occurring during the preceding fiscal year''.
    (c) Nature of Payments.--Section 340E(e)(3) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e(e)(3)) is amended by striking ``made to 
pay'' and inserting ``made and pay''.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 340E(f) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e(f)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(A)--
                    (A) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'';
                    (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) for fiscal year 2006, $110,000,000; 
                        and
                            ``(v) for each of fiscal years 2007 through 
                        2010, such sums as may be necessary.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by striking ``There are hereby 
                        authorized'' and inserting ``There are 
                        authorized''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``(b)(1)(A)'' and 
                        inserting ``(b)(1)(B)'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) for fiscal year 2006, $220,000,000; and
                    ``(E) for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010, 
                such sums as may be necessary.''.
    (e) Technical Amendment.--Section 340E(e)(2) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e(e)(2)) is amended by striking the first 
sentence.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that perinatal hospitals play an 
important role in providing quality care and ensuring the best possible 
outcomes for thousands of seriously ill newborns each year, and that 
medical training programs at perinatal hospitals give providers 
essential training in treating healthy mothers and babies as well as 
patients in neonatal intensive care units.
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