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[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 493 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 493

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
         health care reform and essential community providers.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 1994

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Serrano, Mr. de Lugo, Mr. 
Pastor, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Payne of New Jersey, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. 
 Becerra, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. de la Garza, Mr. Tejeda, Mr. Richardson, 
   Mr. McDermott, Mr. Washington, Mr. Romero-Barcelo, Mr. Owens, Mr. 
   Clyburn, Mr. Filner, Mr. Scott, Mr. Foglietta, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, Mr. Olver, Mr. Lehman, Mrs. Mink, Mr. Frost, and Mr. 
 Klein) submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly 
      to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
         health care reform and essential community providers.

    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) one of the principal purposes of health care reform 
        should be to ensure that medically underserved populations are 
        provided with adequate access to health services, and that such 
        services are provided to the populations in the language and 
        cultural context that is most appropriate for the particular 
        populations to which the services are provided;
            (2) such purpose can be effectively carried out through--
                    (A) physicians, other health professionals, or 
                health care institutions that provide health services 
                in health professional shortage areas or to medically 
                underserved populations;
                    (B) entities that provide health services under 
                grants under sections 329 or 330 of the Public Health 
                Service Act (relating to migrant health centers and 
                community health centers), or through Native Hawaiian 
                Health Centers;
                    (C) entities that provide health services under 
                grants under section 340 or 340A of such Act (relating 
                to health services for homeless individuals and 
                residents of public housing);
                    (D) entities that provide health services under 
                grants under section 1001 or title XXVI of such Act 
                (relating to family planning services and services 
                regarding the human immunodeficiency virus);
                    (E) entities that provide health services under 
                title V of the Social Security Act (relating to 
                maternal and child health);
                    (F) entities that provide health services through 
                rural health clinics or federally qualified health 
                centers;
                    (G) entities that provide health services in urban 
                areas through programs under title V of the Indian 
                Health Care Improvement Act, and entities providing 
                outpatient health services through programs under the 
                Indian Self-Determination Act;
                    (H) State or local public health agencies; and
                    (I) clinics that provide health services to needy 
                populations without charge or for discounted charges 
                according to the ability to pay for services; and
            (3) any system of health care reform that is implemented 
        should recognize that the health care providers and entities 
        specified in paragraph (2) are essential providers, and 
        accordingly legislation providing for health care reform should 
        require that--
                    (A) each health plan enter into provider agreements 
                with any such essential providers that are operating in 
                the service area of the plan; and
                    (B) the essential providers provide health services 
                in the language and cultural context that is most 
                appropriate for the populations to which the services 
                are provided.
                                 <all>
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