I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1349

To amend title 18, United States Code, to combat the overutilization of

prison health care services and control rising prisoner health care costs.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 25, 1999

Mr. SALMON (for himself, Mr. SHOWS, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. COBURN, Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr.

HAYWORTH, Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. COOK,

Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. FOLEY, and Mr. CASTLE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to combat the overutilization of prison health care services and control rising prisoner health care costs.

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 ‘‘Federal Prisoner

5 Health Care Copayment Act of 1999’’.
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1 SEC. 2. HEALTH CARE FEES FOR PRISONERS IN FEDERAL

2 INSTITUTIONS.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 303 of title 18, United

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing:

6 ‘‘§ 4048. Fees for health care services for prisoners

7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section—

8 ‘‘(1) the term ‘account’ means the trust fund

9 account (or institutional equivalent) of a prisoner;

10 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of

11 the Bureau of Prisons;

12 ‘‘(3) the term ‘health care provider’ means any

13 person who is—

14 ‘‘(A) authorized by the Director to provide

15 health care services; and

16 ‘‘(B) operating within the scope of such

17 authorization;

18 ‘‘(4) the term ‘health care visit’ means a visit,

19 as determined by the Director, by a prisoner to an

20 institutional or noninstitutional health care provider;

21 and

22 ‘‘(5) the term ‘prisoner’ means—

23 ‘‘(A) any individual who is incarcerated in

24 an institution under the jurisdiction of the Bu25 reau of Prisons; or
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1 ‘‘(B) any other individual, as designated by

2 the Director, who has been charged with or con3 victed of an offense against the United States.

4 ‘‘(b) FEES FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES.—

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in accord6 ance with this section and with such regulations as

7 the Director shall promulgate to carry out this sec8 tion, may assess and collect a fee for health care

9 services provided in connection with each health care

10 visit requested by a prisoner.

11 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSION.—The Director may not as12 sess or collect a fee under this section for preventa13 tive health care services, as determined by the Direc14 tor.

15 ‘‘(c) PERSONS SUBJECT TO FEE.—Each fee assessed

16 under this section shall be collected by the Director from

17 the account of—

18 ‘‘(1) the prisoner receiving health care services

19 in connection with a health care visit described in

20 subsection (b)(1); or

21 ‘‘(2) in the case of health care services provided

22 in connection with a health care visit described in

23 subsection (b)(1) that results from an injury in24 flicted on a prisoner by another prisoner, the pris-
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1 oner who inflicted the injury, as determined by the

2 Director.

3 ‘‘(d) AMOUNT OF FEE.—Any fee assessed and col4 lected under this section shall be in an amount of not less

5 than $2.

6 ‘‘(e) NO CONSENT REQUIRED.—Notwithstanding any

7 other provision of law, the consent of a prisoner shall not

8 be required for the collection of a fee from the account

9 of the prisoner under this section.

10 ‘‘(f) NO REFUSAL OF TREATMENT FOR FINANCIAL

11 REASONS.—Nothing in this section may be construed to

12 permit any refusal of treatment to a prisoner on the basis

13 that—

14 ‘‘(1) the account of the prisoner is insolvent; or

15 ‘‘(2) the prisoner is otherwise unable to pay a

16 fee assessed under this section.

17 ‘‘(g) USE OF AMOUNTS.—

18 ‘‘(1) RESTITUTION OF SPECIFIC VICTIMS.—

19 Amounts collected by the Director under this section

20 from a prisoner subject to an order of restitution

21 issued pursuant to section 3663 or 3663A shall be

22 paid to victims in accordance with the order of res23 titution.

24 ‘‘(2) ALLOCATION OF OTHER AMOUNTS.—Of

25 amounts collected by the Director under this section
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1 from prisoners not subject to an order of restitution

2 issued pursuant to section 3663 or 3663A—

3 ‘‘(A) 75 percent shall be deposited in the

4 Crime Victims Fund established under section

5 1402 of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (42

6 U.S.C. 10601); and

7 ‘‘(B) 25 percent shall be available to the

8 Attorney General for administrative expenses

9 incurred in carrying out this section.

10 ‘‘(h) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2

11 years after the date of enactment of the Federal Prisoner

12 Copayment Act of 1999, and annually thereafter, the Di13 rector shall transmit to Congress a report, which shall

14 include—

15 ‘‘(1) a description of the amounts collected

16 under this section during the preceding 12-month

17 period (or 24-month period in the case of the initial

18 report); and

19 ‘‘(2) an analysis of the effects of the implemen20 tation of this section, if any, on the nature and ex21 tent of heath care visits by prisoners.’’.

22 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap23 ter 303 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by

24 adding at the end the following:

‘‘4048. Fees for health care services for prisoners.’’.
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1 SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE FEES FOR FEDERAL PRISONERS IN

2 NON-FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS.

3 Section 4013 of title 18, United States Code, is

4 amended by adding at the end the following:

5 ‘‘(c) HEALTH CARE FEES FOR FEDERAL PRISONERS

6 IN NON-FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS.—Notwithstanding

7 amounts paid under subsection (a)(3), a State or local

8 government may assess and collect a reasonable fee from

9 the trust fund account (or institutional equivalent) of a

10 Federal prisoner for health care services, if—

11 ‘‘(1) the prisoner—

12 ‘‘(A) is confined in a non-Federal institu13 tion pursuant to an agreement between the

14 Federal Government and the State or local gov15 ernment; and

16 ‘‘(B) is not indigent;

17 ‘‘(2) the fee—

18 ‘‘(A) is authorized under State law; and

19 ‘‘(B) does not exceed the amount collected

20 from State or local prisoners for the same serv21 ices; and

22 ‘‘(3) the services—

23 ‘‘(A) are provided within or outside of the

24 institution by a person who is licensed or cer25 tified under State law to provide health care
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1 services and who is operating within the scope

2 of such license;

3 ‘‘(B) are provided at the request of the

4 prisoner; and

5 ‘‘(C) are not preventative health care serv6 ices.’’.

Æ