119-hr2191

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

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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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