Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate maternity care health professional shortage areas and review such designations at least annually.
Requires the Secretary to collect and publish data on health care professional shortage areas based on professional category of maternal health professionals providing full scope maternity health care by provider type as well as geographic region.
Includes, in the criteria for designation of health professional shortage areas, consideration of health professionals other than physicians who provide full scope maternity care and are eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment.
Defines "maternity care health professional shortage area" to mean: (1) an area determined to have a shortage of providers of full scope maternity care health services or of hospital or birth center labor and delivery units, or (2) a population group determined to have a shortage of such providers or facilities.
Defines "full scope maternity care health services" to include care during labor, birthing, prenatal care, and postpartum care.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4385 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4385
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the designation
of maternity care health professional shortage areas.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2014
Mr. Burgess (for himself and Mrs. Capps) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the designation
of maternity care health professional shortage areas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. MATERNITY CARE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS.
Section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(k)(1) The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the
Health Resources and Services Administration, shall designate maternity
care health professional shortage areas in the States and at least
annually thereafter review and, as necessary, revise such designations.
``(2) In carrying out paragraph (1), and in applying subsection (b)
pursuant to paragraph (4), the Secretary shall seek input from relevant
provider organizations, including medical societies, organizations
representing medical facilities, and other organizations with expertise
in maternity care.
``(3) In applying subsection (d), pursuant to paragraph (4), the
Secretary shall collect and publish in the Federal Register data on
health care professional shortage areas based on professional category
of maternal health professionals providing full scope maternity health
care by provider type as well as geographic region. Such data shall be
presented in a manner to compare availability and need of such
professionals by such professional category and geographic region.
``(4) The provisions of subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g),
(h), (i), and (j) (other than (j)(1)(B)) of this section shall apply to
the designation of a maternity care health professional shortage area
under this subsection in a similar manner and extent as such provisions
apply to the designation of health professional shortage areas under
subsection (a), except--
``(A) in applying subsection (b)(3), the reference in such
subsection to `physicians' shall be deemed to be a reference to
physicians and other health professionals as providing
maternity care eligible for loan repayment under this part who
provide full scope maternity care;
``(B) in applying subsection (d)--
``(i) the reference in paragraph (2) of such
subsection to `July 1 of 1991' shall be deemed to be a
reference to `July 1 of 2016'; and
``(ii) the descriptive list required under such
paragraph, with respect to a maternity care health
professional shortage area designated under paragraph
(1), shall include--
``(I) population groups in the area that
would benefit from full scope maternity care
health services; and
``(II) the providers and medical facilities
that provide such services to such groups in
such area; and
``(C) in applying such provisions of subsections (b), (c),
(e), (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j), a reference to an area,
population group, or facility shall be deemed to be a reference
to an area or population group described in paragraph (5).
``(5) For purposes of this subsection:
``(A) The term `maternity care health professional shortage
area' means--
``(i) an area in an urban or rural area (which need
not conform to the geographic boundaries of a political
subdivision and which is a rational area for the
delivery of health services) which the Secretary
determines has a shortage of providers of full scope
maternity care health services;
``(ii) an area in an urban or rural area (which
need not conform to the geographic boundaries of a
political subdivision and which is a rational area for
the delivery of health services) which the Secretary
determines has a shortage of hospital or birth center
labor and delivery units; or
``(iii) a population group which the Secretary
determines has such a shortage of maternal providers or
facilities.
``(B) The term `full scope maternity care health services'
includes during labor care, birthing, prenatal care, and
postpartum care.
``(C) The term `medical facility' has the meaning given
such term in subsection (a)(2) and includes a freestanding
birth center, as defined in section 1905(l)(3)(B) of the Social
Security Act.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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