Rollover any line of text to comment and/or link to it.
HR 2784 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2784
To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 10, 2009
Mr. THORNBERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR QUALIFYING PHYSICIANS AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS PARTICIPATING IN MEDICARE.
(a) Loans- The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘Secretary’) shall establish a program of entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which--
(1) the eligible individual agrees--
(A) to serve as a physician or nurse practitioner who is a participating physician or supplier (as defined in section 1842(h)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(h)(1))); and
(B) subject to subsection (b), to accept, to the greatest extent possible, Medicare individuals who seek the services of such eligible individual; and
(2) the Secretary agrees to pay on behalf of the eligible individual, for each year the eligible individual is in compliance with subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1), not more than $20,000 of the principal and interest on government and commercial loans received by the eligible individual regarding the undergraduate or graduate education (or both) of the eligible individual.
(b) Requirement-
(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph (2), for an eligible individual to be in compliance with subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 30 percent of the number of individuals to whom the eligible individual furnishes services during such year must be Medicare individuals.
(2) APPLICATION TO GROUP PRACTICES- In the case of an eligible individual in a medical group practice, for such individual to be in compliance with subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 30 percent of the number of individuals to whom such group practice furnishes services during such year must be Medicare individuals.
(c) Eligible Individuals- In this section, the term ‘eligible individual’ means an individual who--
(1) has a degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine or who is certified as a nurse practitioner; and
(2) submits to the Secretary an application for a contract described in subsection (a), in a manner and time, and containing such information, as specified by the Secretary.
(d) Medicare Individual Defined- In this section, the term ‘Medicare individual’ means an individual who is entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act and enrolled under part B of such title.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations- To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2014.
U.S. Congress - Text of H.R.2784 as Introduced in House Partnership to Improve Seniors Access to Medicare Act
