Index for HR3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Andrews) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, 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

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

(a) In general.—Section 224 (42 U.S.C. 233) is amended—

(1) in subsection (g)(1)(A)—

(A) in the first sentence, by striking “or employee” and inserting “employee, or (subject to subsection (k)(4)) volunteer practitioner”; and

(B) in the second sentence, by inserting “and subsection (k)(4)” after “subject to paragraph (5)”; and

(2) in each of subsections (g), (i), (j), (l), and (m), by striking the term “employee, or contractor” each place such term appears and inserting “employee, volunteer practitioner, or contractor”;

(3) in subsection (g)(1)(H), by striking the term “employee, and contractor” each place such term appears and inserting “employee, volunteer practitioner, and contractor”;

(4) in subsection (l), by striking the term “employee, or any contractor” and inserting “employee, volunteer practitioner, or contractor”; and

(5) in subsections (h)(3) and (k), by striking the term “employees, or contractors” each place such term appears and inserting “employees, volunteer practitioners, or contractors”.

(b) Applicability; definition.—Section 224(k) (42 U.S.C. 233(k)) is amended by adding at the end the following paragraph:

“(4)(A) Subsections (g) through (m) apply with respect to volunteer practitioners beginning with the first fiscal year for which an appropriations Act provides that amounts in the fund under paragraph (2) are available with respect to such practitioners.

“(B) For purposes of subsections (g) through (m), the term ‘volunteer practitioner’ means a practitioner who, with respect to an entity described in subsection (g)(4), meets the following conditions:

“(i) The practitioner is a licensed physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, or other licensed or certified health care practitioner.

“(ii) At the request of such entity, the practitioner provides services to patients of the entity, at a site at which the entity operates or at a site designated by the entity. The weekly number of hours of services provided to the patients by the practitioner is not a factor with respect to meeting conditions under this subparagraph.

“(iii) The practitioner does not for the provision of such services receive any compensation from such patients, from the entity, or from third-party payors (including reimbursement under any insurance policy or health plan, or under any Federal or State health benefits program).”.