HEALTH Act

Subjects: Taxation

Summary:  <p><strong>Helping Everyone Access Long Term Healthcare Act or the HEALTH Act</strong></p> <p>This bill allows a tax deduction for direct primary care physicians who provide charity care. The care must be provided without expectation of reimbursement and to an individual enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). </p> <p>A <em>direct primary care physician</em> is a physician who provides primary care (1) to individuals who have paid a periodic subscription fee, and (2) in exchange for a fee that is published on a publicly available website of the physician.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2986 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2986

 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a deduction for 
 certain charity care furnished by physicians, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 27, 2023

Mr. Webster of Florida (for himself and Mr. DesJarlais) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a deduction for 
 certain charity care furnished by physicians, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Everyone Access Long Term 
Healthcare Act'' or the ``HEALTH Act''.

SEC. 2. DEDUCTION FOR QUALIFIED CHARITY CARE.

    (a) In General.--Part VI of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 199B. QUALIFIED CHARITY CARE.

    ``(a) In General.--There shall be allowed as a deduction for the 
taxable year an amount equal to--
            ``(1) in the case of a direct primary care physician, an 
        amount equal to the sum of--
                    ``(A) the fee (as published on a publicly available 
                website of such physician) for physicians' services 
                that are qualified charity care furnished by such 
                taxpayer during such year, and
                    ``(B) for each visit by a patient to such physician 
                during which qualified charity care is furnished, half 
                of so much of the lowest subscription fee of such 
                physician that is attributable to a month, and
            ``(2) in the case of any other individual, the unreimbursed 
        Medicare-based value of qualified charity care furnished by 
        such taxpayer during such year.
    ``(b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Unreimbursed medicare-based value.--The term 
        `unreimbursed Medicare-based value' means, with respect to 
        physicians' services, the amount payable for such services 
        under the physician fee schedule established under section 1848 
        of the Social Security Act.
            ``(2) Qualified charity care.--The term `qualified charity 
        care' means physicians' services that are furnished--
                    ``(A) without expectation of reimbursement, and
                    ``(B) to an individual enrolled--
                            ``(i) under a State plan under title XIX of 
                        the Social Security Act (or a waiver of such 
                        plan), or
                            ``(ii) under a State child health plan 
                        under title XXI of the Social Security Act (or 
                        a waiver of such plan).
            ``(3) Direct primary care physician.--The term `direct 
        primary care physician' means a physician (as defined in 
        section 1861(r) of the Social Security Act) who provides 
        primary care--
                    ``(A) to individuals who have paid a periodic 
                subscription fee, and
                    ``(B) in exchange for a fee that is published on a 
                publicly available website of such physician.
            ``(4) Physicians' services.--The term `physicians' 
        services' has the meaning given such term by section 1861(q) of 
        the Social Security Act.
    ``(c) Limitation.--The amount allowed as a deduction under 
subsection (a) for a taxable year shall not exceed the gross receipts 
attributable to physicians' services furnished by the taxpayer during 
the taxable year.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for part VI of 
subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``Sec. 199B. Qualified charity care.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
</pre></body></html>