Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2191 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2191

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain 
    physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician-owned 
                               hospitals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2025

 Mr. Griffith (for himself, Mr. Hern of Oklahoma, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez 
  of Texas, Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania, Mr. Correa, Mr. Balderson, Mr. 
Valadao, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, 
Mr. Yakym, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, and Mr. Austin Scott 
 of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain 
    physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician-owned 
                               hospitals.

    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 ``Physician Led and Rural Access to 
Quality Care Act''.

SEC. 2. REVISING CERTAIN PHYSICIAN SELF-REFERRAL EXEMPTIONS RELATING TO 
              PHYSICIAN-OWNED HOSPITALS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1877 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395nn) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)(C), by inserting ``(other than 
                a covered rural hospital (as defined in subsection 
                (h)))'' after ``a hospital''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3)(D), by inserting ``in the case 
                of a hospital other than a covered rural hospital (as 
                defined in subsection (h)),'' before ``the hospital''; 
                and
            (2) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(8) Covered rural hospital.--The term `covered rural 
        hospital' means a hospital that--
                    ``(A) is located in a rural area (as defined in 
                section 1886(d)(2)(D)); and
                    ``(B) as of the date that such hospital enrolls 
                under this title, is located more than a 35-mile drive 
                (or, in the case of mountainous terrain or in areas 
                with only secondary roads available, a 15-mile drive) 
                from a hospital or a critical access hospital.''.
    (b) Allowing for Expansion of Existing Physician-Owned Hospitals.--
Section 1877(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395nn(i)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``in paragraph (3)'' 
        and inserting ``in paragraph (3) or (7)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(7) Sunset of expansion prohibition.--The requirement 
        described in paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply beginning on the 
        date of the enactment of this paragraph.''.
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