Ensuring Children’s Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019

Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019

This bill expands the scope of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to include pediatric subspecialists, including psychiatrists. Currently, the NHSC provides scholarships and student loan repayment awards to primary care, dental care, and mental health care providers who agree to work in areas that face a shortage of these types of providers.

In addition, the bill provides that an underserved population of children and adolescents may be designated as a health professional shortage area. (This designation confers eligibility for, and priority preferences with respect to, NHSC placements, grants, and other activities to address shortages of health care professionals.)

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1659 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1659

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of pediatric subspecialists in the National Health Service Corps 
                    program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 May 23 (legislative day, May 22), 2019

  Mr. Blunt (for himself and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of pediatric subspecialists in the National Health Service Corps 
                    program, 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 ``Ensuring Children's Access to 
Specialty Care Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION OF PEDIATRIC SUBSPECIALTIES IN NATIONAL HEALTH 
              SERVICE CORPS.

    (a) Primary Health Services Definition.--Section 331(a)(3)(D) of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(a)(3)(D)) is amended by 
inserting ``(and pediatric subspecialties and special qualifications in 
pediatrics)'' after ``pediatrics''.
    (b) Behavioral and Mental Health Professionals Definition.--Section 
331(a)(3)(E)(i) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254d(a)(3)(E)(i)) is amended by inserting ``(including pediatric 
subspecialists thereof)'' after ``psychiatrists''.
    (c) Health Professional Shortage Areas.--Section 332(a) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``(including such a 
        population group of children and adolescents)'' after 
        ``shortage''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``pediatric 
        subspecialty medical residency or fellowship training site,'' 
        after ``health department,''.
    (d) Loan Repayment Program.--Subparagraph (B) of section 338B(b)(1) 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1(b)(1)) is amended by 
inserting ``(including a pediatric subspecialty residency or fellowship 
training program)'' before the semicolon.
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