119-hr5621

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5621 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5621

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
 of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified 
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 30, 2025

 Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Griffith) 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 the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
 of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified 
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, 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; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapist 
Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2025''.

    (b) 

=== Findings ===
-Congress finds as follows:

    (1) Physical therapists play an important role in the 
 prevention, treatment, or management of pain for individuals, 
 including those with substance use disorders, or at risk of 
 developing a substance use disorder.

    (2) Physical therapists are also playing an important role 
 in the physical rehabilitation needs of individuals who have 
 developed chronic health conditions as a result of COVID-19.

    (3) Physical therapist services are an essential component 
 of the multidisciplinary undertaking that will be required to 
 improve patient access and outcomes in medically underserved 
 areas.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL 
 THERAPISTS IN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Mission of Corps; Definition of Primary Health Services.--

Section 331

    (a)

    (3)
            (D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254d

    (a)

    (3)
            (D) ) is amended by striking ``or mental health,'' and 
inserting ``mental health, or physical therapy,''.

    (b) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--

Section 332 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
 ``
            (l) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program 
 of--
 ``
        (A) identifying physical therapy health 
 professional target areas; and
 ``
        (B) assigning members of the Corps who are 
 physical therapists to such areas.
 ``

    (2) Applicable provisions.--The provisions of paragraphs

    (1) ,

    (2) ,

    (3) ,

    (4) , and

    (6) of subsection

    (k) shall apply to 
 the identification of physical therapy health professional 
 target areas and the assignment of physical therapists under 
 this subsection except that--
 ``
        (A) references to maternity care health 
 professional target areas shall be treated as 
 references to physical therapy health professional 
 target areas; and
 ``
        (B) references to maternity care health 
 professionals and maternity care shall be treated as 
 references to physical therapists and physical therapy, 
 respectively.''.
            (c) Loan Repayment Program.--

Section 338B of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a)

    (1) , by inserting ``physical 
 therapists,'' after ``dentists,'';

    (2) in subsection

    (b) --
        (A) by striking ``

    (1)
        (A) have a degree in'' and all 
 that follows through the end of subparagraph
        (A) of 
 paragraph

    (1) and inserting the following:
 ``

    (1)
        (A)
            (i) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic 
 medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an 
 appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and 
 mental health;
 ``
            (ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, 
 or physician assistant; or
 ``
            (iii) have a doctoral or master's degree in physical 
 therapy;'';
        (B) in paragraph

    (1)
        (B) , by inserting ``physical 
 therapy,'' after ``mental health,''; and
            (C) in paragraph

    (1)
            (C) 
            (ii) , by inserting 
 ``physical therapy,'' after ``dentistry,''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (i) Eligibility to Participate in Other Programs.--Nothing in 
this section shall be construed to prohibit any health care 
professional who is eligible to participate in the program under this 
section from participating in any other loan repayment program 
established by the Secretary for which such professional is 
eligible.''.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN 
 THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

 

Section 10503

    (b)

    (2)
        (K) of the Patient Protection and Affordable 
Care Act (42 U.S.C. 254b-2

    (b)

    (2)
        (K) ) is amended--

    (1) by striking ``$172,972,603'' and inserting 
 ``$187,972,603''; and

    (2) by inserting before the period at the end the 
 following: ``, provided that of such amount the Secretary shall 
 use not less than $15,000,000 for making loan repayments for 
 physical therapists participating in the National Health 
 Service Corps Loan Repayment Program under 

section 338B of the 
 Public Health Service Act''.

SEC. 4. EXPANDING MEDICARE RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES AND FEDERALLY 
 QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVICES TO INCLUDE PHYSICAL 
 THERAPY SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--

Section 1861

    (aa) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x

    (aa) ) is amended--

    (1) in paragraph

    (1) --
        (A) in subparagraph
            (C) , by striking at the end 
 ``and'';
        (B) in subparagraph
            (D) , by adding ``and'' at the 
 end; and
            (C) by inserting after subparagraph
            (D) the 
 following new subparagraph:
 ``
        (E) such physical therapy services (as defined in 
 subsection

    (p) ) furnished by a physical therapist,''; and

    (2) in paragraph

    (3)
        (A) , by striking ``subparagraphs
        (A) through
            (D) '' and inserting ``subparagraphs
        (A) through
        (E) ''.

    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection

    (a) shall 
apply with respect to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
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