II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5173 

To amend title 31 and title 10, United States Code, to address claims 

of the United States Government relating to certain treatment received 

by civilians at military medical treatment facilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 1, 2022 

Ms. WARREN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 31 and title 10, United States Code, to 

address claims of the United States Government relating 

to certain treatment received by civilians at military medical treatment facilities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Financial Relief for 

5 Civilians Treated at Military Hospitals Act’’. 


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•S 5173 IS

1 SEC. 2. DEBT ARISING FROM TREATMENT AT MILITARY 

2 MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES. 

3 Section 3711 of title 31, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (g)(2)— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (A)(v), by striking 

7 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

9 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) to any debt or claim described in sub12 section (j).’’; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(j) The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a 

15 military department (as defined in section 101 of title 10) 

16 may not take an action under subsection (a) to collect a 

17 claim arising from covered treatment (as defined in section 

18 1079b(b) of that title) provided at a military medical 

19 treatment facility to a civilian who is not a covered bene20 ficiary (as defined in section 1072 of that title).’’. 

21 SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON FEES CHARGED TO CIVILIANS FOR 

22 EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT PRO23 VIDED AT MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT 

24 FACILITIES. 

25 Section 1079b of title 10, United States Code, is 

26 amended— 


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•S 5173 IS

1 (1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

2 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 

3 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol4 lowing new subsection (b): 

5 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON FEES FOR CERTAIN TREAT6 MENT.—(1) Under the procedures developed under sub7 section (a), a military medical treatment facility may not 

8 charge a civilian who is not a covered beneficiary, or a 

9 third-party payer of such civilian, any fee for covered 

10 treatment provided to such civilian at such facility. 

11 ‘‘(2) In this subsection: 

12 ‘‘(A) The term ‘covered treatment’, with respect 

13 to treatment provided to a civilian at a military med14 ical treatment facility, means treatment provided for 

15 a medical emergency or in connection with an emer16 gency inpatient admission. 

17 ‘‘(B) The terms ‘emergency inpatient admis18 sion’ and ‘medical emergency’ have the meanings 

19 given those terms in section 199.2 of title 32, Code 

20 of Federal Regulations, or successor regulations. 

21 ‘‘(C) The term ‘third-party payer’ means— 

22 ‘‘(i) an entity described in section 

23 1095(h)(1) of this title; 


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•S 5173 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) the Medicare program under title 

2 XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 1395 et seq.); or 

4 ‘‘(iii) the Medicaid program under title 

5 XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).’’. 

Æ 


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