HELP Puerto Rico Act

Healthcare Expenditures for Low-income Populations in Puerto Rico Act or the HELP Puerto Rico Act

This bill increases Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico through FY2019. Such funding shall be further increased through 2019 if Puerto Rico takes specified actions to improve its Medicaid program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3932 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3932

 To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for increased 
         Puerto Rico Medicaid payments, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 3, 2017

    Mr. Lance (for himself and Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for increased 
         Puerto Rico Medicaid payments, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Healthcare Expenditures for Low-
income Populations in Puerto Rico Act'' or the ``HELP Puerto Rico 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PUERTO RICO MEDICAID PAYMENTS.

    (a) Increased Cap.--Section 1108(g) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1308(g)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``(or, with respect 
        to fiscal years 2018 and 2019, increased by such percentage 
        increase plus one percentage point)'' after ``beginning of the 
        fiscal year''; and
            (2) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subparagraph 
                (B)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), and 
                (E)''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraphs:
                    ``(C) The amount of the increase otherwise provided 
                under subparagraph (A) for Puerto Rico shall be further 
                increased by $880,000,000.
                    ``(D)(i) For the period beginning October 1, 2017, 
                and ending December 31, 2019, the amount of the 
                increase otherwise provided under subparagraph (A) for 
                Puerto Rico shall be further increased by $120,000,000 
                if the Financial Oversight and Management Board for 
                Puerto Rico established under section 101 of the Puerto 
                Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act 
                (48 U.S.C. 2121) certifies by a majority vote that 
                Puerto Rico has taken reasonable and appropriate steps 
                during such period to--
                            ``(I) reduce fraud, waste, and abuse under 
                        the program under title XIX;
                            ``(II) implement strategies to reduce 
                        unnecessary, inefficient, or excessive spending 
                        under title XIX;
                            ``(III) improve the use and availability of 
                        Medicaid data for program operation and 
                        oversight; and
                            ``(IV) improve the quality of care and 
                        patient experience for individuals enrolled 
                        under the program under title XIX.
                    ``(ii) As a condition of any additional increase 
                pursuant to clause (i), not later than October 1, 2018, 
                Puerto Rico shall submit to the Financial Oversight and 
                Management Board for Puerto Rico a report regarding 
                steps taken to achieve each of the goals described in 
                subclauses (I) through (IV) of clause (i).
                    ``(E) Payments under section 1903(a)(8) for a 
                quarter of a fiscal year shall not be taken into 
                account in applying subsection (f) (as increased in 
                accordance with this paragraph and paragraphs (1), (2), 
                (3), and (4)) to Puerto Rico for such fiscal year.''.
    (b) Federal Match for Medical Personnel and Fraud Reduction.--
Section 1903(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396b(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``subject to 
        paragraph (8),'' before ``an amount'';
            (2) in paragraph (6)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``subject to 
                paragraph (8),'' before ``75 per centum''; and
                    (B) by striking at the end ``plus'';
            (3) in paragraph (7), by striking at the end the period and 
        inserting ``; plus''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) for quarters during the period beginning January 1, 
        2018, and ending December 31, 2019, paragraphs (2)(A) and (6) 
        shall apply with respect to Puerto Rico as if--
                    ``(A) the reference to `75 per centum' in paragraph 
                (2)(A) were a reference to `90 per centum'; and
                    ``(B) the reference to `75 per centum' in paragraph 
                (6)(B) were a reference to `90 per centum'.''.
                                 <all>