I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2784 

To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse 

practitioners participating in the Medicare Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 10, 2009 

Mr. THORNBERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program. 

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 ‘‘Partnership to Improve 

5 Seniors Access to Medicare Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR QUALIFYING 

7 PHYSICIANS AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS 

8 PARTICIPATING IN MEDICARE. 

9 (a) LOANS.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

10 Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 


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1 shall establish a program of entering into contracts with 

2 eligible individuals under which— 

3 (1) the eligible individual agrees— 

4 (A) to serve as a physician or nurse practi5 tioner who is a participating physician or sup6 plier (as defined in section 1842(h)(1) of the 

7 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(h)(1))); 

8 and 

9 (B) subject to subsection (b), to accept, to 

10 the greatest extent possible, Medicare individ11 uals who seek the services of such eligible indi12 vidual; and 

13 (2) the Secretary agrees to pay on behalf of the 

14 eligible individual, for each year the eligible indi15 vidual is in compliance with subparagraphs (A) and 

16 (B) of paragraph (1), not more than $20,000 of the 

17 principal and interest on government and commer18 cial loans received by the eligible individual regard19 ing the undergraduate or graduate education (or 

20 both) of the eligible individual. 

21 (b) REQUIREMENT.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

23 for an eligible individual to be in compliance with 

24 subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 

25 30 percent of the number of individuals to whom the 


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1 eligible individual furnishes services during such 

2 year must be Medicare individuals. 

3 (2) APPLICATION TO GROUP PRACTICES.—In 

4 the case of an eligible individual in a medical group 

5 practice, for such individual to be in compliance with 

6 subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 

7 30 percent of the number of individuals to whom 

8 such group practice furnishes services during such 

9 year must be Medicare individuals. 

10 (c) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—In this section, the 

11 term ‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual who— 

12 (1) has a degree in medicine or osteopathic 

13 medicine or who is certified as a nurse practitioner; 

14 and 

15 (2) submits to the Secretary an application for 

16 a contract described in subsection (a), in a manner 

17 and time, and containing such information, as speci18 fied by the Secretary. 

19 (d) MEDICARE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this sec20 tion, the term ‘‘Medicare individual’’ means an individual 

21 who is entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII of 

22 the Social Security Act and enrolled under part B of such 

23 title. 

24 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

25 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 


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1 such sums as are necessary for each of the fiscal years 

2 2009 through 2014. 

Æ 


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