Indian Health Care Improvement Technical Corrections Act of 1996

Summary: Indian Health Care Improvement Technical Corrections Act of 1996 - Makes technical corrections to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act concerning allopathic medicine and Indian health professions scholarships and active duty service obligations. 
Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to extend through FY 1998 the demonstration program for direct billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and other third party payors. 
Authorizes appropriations through FY 2000 for the:  (1) California Contract Health Services Demonstration Program; (2) Gallup Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center; (3) Substance Abuse Counselor Education Demonstration Program; and (4) Home and Community-Based Care Demonstration Program.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Indian Health Care 
Improvement Technical Corrections Act of 1996''.
    (b) References.--Whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is 
expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other 
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
other provision of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS IN THE INDIAN HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT 
              ACT.

    (a) Definition of Health Profession.--Section 4(n) (25 U.S.C. 
1603(n)) is amended--
        (1) by inserting ``allopathic medicine,'' before ``family 
    medicine''; and
        (2) by striking ``and allied health professions'' and inserting 
    ``an allied health profession, or any other health profession''.
    (b) Indian Health Professions Scholarships.--Section 104(b) of the 
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1613a(b)) is amended--
        (1) in paragraph (3)--
            (A) in subparagraph (A)--
                (i) by striking the matter preceding clause (i) and 
            inserting the following:
    ``(3)(A) The active duty service obligation under a written 
contract with the Secretary under section 338A of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l) that an individual has entered into under 
that section shall, if that individual is a recipient of an Indian 
Health Scholarship, be met in full-time practice, by service--'';
                (ii) by striking ``or'' at the end of clause (iii); and
                (iii) by striking the period at the end of clause (iv) 
            and inserting ``; or'';
            (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as 
        subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
            (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
        subparagraph:
    ``(B) At the request of any individual who has entered into a 
contract referred to in subparagraph (A) and who receives a degree in 
medicine (including osteopathic or allopathic medicine), dentistry, 
optometry, podiatry, or pharmacy, the Secretary shall defer the active 
duty service obligation of that individual under that contract, in 
order that such individual may complete any internship, residency, or 
other advanced clinical training that is required for the practice of 
that health profession, for an appropriate period (in years, as 
determined by the Secretary), subject to the following conditions:
        ``(i) No period of internship, residency, or other advanced 
    clinical training shall be counted as satisfying any period of 
    obligated service that is required under this section.
        ``(ii) The active duty service obligation of that individual 
    shall commence not later than 90 days after the completion of that 
    advanced clinical training (or by a date specified by the 
    Secretary).
        ``(iii) The active duty service obligation will be served in 
    the health profession of that individual, in a manner consistent 
    with clauses (i) through (v) of subparagraph (A).'';
            (D) in subparagraph (C), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``prescribed under section 338C of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 254m) by service in a program specified in 
        subparagraph (A)'' and inserting ``described in subparagraph 
        (A) by service in a program specified in that subparagraph''; 
        and
            (E) in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated--
                (i) by striking ``Subject to subparagraph (B),'' and 
            inserting ``Subject to subparagraph (C),''; and
                (ii) by striking ``prescribed under section 338C of the 
            Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254m)'' and inserting 
            ``described in subparagraph (A)'';
        (2) in paragraph (4)--
            (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking the matter preceding 
        clause (i) and inserting the following:
        ``(B) the period of obligated service described in paragraph 
    (3)(A) shall be equal to the greater of--''; and
            (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``(42 U.S.C. 
        254m(g)(1)(B))'' and inserting ``(42 U.S.C. 254l(g)(1)(B))''; 
        and
        (3) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the following new 
    subparagraphs:
    ``(C) Upon the death of an individual who receives an Indian Health 
Scholarship, any obligation of that individual for service or payment 
that relates to that scholarship shall be canceled.
    ``(D) The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total waiver 
or suspension of any obligation of service or payment of a recipient of 
an Indian Health Scholarship if the Secretary determines that--
        ``(i) it is not possible for the recipient to meet that 
    obligation or make that payment;
        ``(ii) requiring that recipient to meet that obligation or make 
    that payment would result in extreme hardship to the recipient; or
        ``(iii) the enforcement of the requirement to meet the 
    obligation or make the payment would be unconscionable.
    ``(E) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any case of 
extreme hardship or for other good cause shown, the Secretary may 
waive, in whole or in part, the right of the United States to recover 
funds made available under this section.
    ``(F) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to a 
recipient of an Indian Health Scholarship, no obligation for payment 
may be released by a discharge in bankruptcy under title 11, United 
States Code, unless that discharge is granted after the expiration of 
the 5-year period beginning on the initial date on which that payment 
is due, and only if the bankruptcy court finds that the nondischarge of 
the obligation would be unconscionable.''.
    (c) California Contract Health Services Demonstration Program.--
Section 211(g) (25 U.S.C. 1621j(g)) is amended by striking ``1993, 
1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997'' and inserting ``1996 through 2000''.
    (d) Extension of Certain Demonstration Program.--Section 405(c)(2) 
(25 U.S.C. 1645(c)(2)) is amended by striking ``September 30, 1996'' 
and inserting ``September 30, 1998''.
    (e) Gallup Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Center.--Section 
706(d) (25 U.S.C. 1665e(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated, for each of fiscal years 1996 through 2000, such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out subsection (b).''.
    (f) Substance Abuse Counselor Education Demonstration Program.--
Section 711(h) (25 U.S.C. 1665j(h)) is amended by striking ``1993, 
1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997'' and inserting ``1996 through 2000''.
    (g) Home and Community-Based Care Demonstration Program.--Section 
821(i) (25 U.S.C. 1680k(i)) is amended by striking ``1993, 1994, 1995, 
1996, and 1997'' and inserting ``1996 through 2000''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.