[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1390 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1390

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 9, 2025

 Mr. Lankford (for himself, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
Cornyn, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Barrasso, and Mr. Budd) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                               on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `covered rural 
                hospital' means a hospital that--
                            ``(i) is located in a rural area (as 
                        defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D)); and
                            ``(ii) as of the date that such hospital 
                        enrolls under this title, meets the criteria 
                        described in clause (i)(I) of section 
                        1820(c)(2)(B).
                    ``(B) Clarification.--Nothing in this paragraph 
                shall be interpreted as requiring a covered rural 
                hospital to meet any other criteria under section 
                1820(c)(2)(B).''.
    (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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