I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2833 
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act so as to eliminate 
the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to limit 
the ability of medical providers to conduct lawful business, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2013 
Mr. GINGREY of Georgia (for himself, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. 
DESJARLAIS, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, and Mr. JONES) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
so as to eliminate the authority of the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to limit the ability of med-
ical providers to conduct lawful business, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding Care Of 
Patients Everywhere Act’’ or the ‘‘SCOPE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The practice of medicine is guided by a set 
of principles contained in the Hippocratic oath, 
which in part directs medical practitioners to ‘‘re-
member that I do not treat a fever chart, a can-
cerous growth, but a sick human being’’. 
(2) Historically, the practice of medicine has 
been principally governed by the laws of each of the 
50 States, not the Federal Government. 
(3) State medical licensing and disciplinary 
boards administer medical practice laws and have 
the principal responsibility to protect the public from 
improper and unlawful medical practices. 
(4) Such boards define activities that constitute 
the legitimate practice of medicine. 
(5) The actions of the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services are not governed by the Hippo-
cratic oath or a medical board of any of the 50 
States. 
(6) The actions of the Secretary are not deter-
mined solely by the needs of patients. 
(7) Individual and institutional financial inter-
ests can influence the discretion and actions of the 
Secretary. 
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(8) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
Act, in subsection (h) of section 1311 (42 U.S.C. 
18031), grants the Secretary the authority to— 
(A) make findings regarding the quality of 
medical care and the activities that constitute 
the legitimate practice of medicine; and 
(B) on the basis of these findings, termi-
nate or limit the ability of medical providers to 
conduct lawful business, thus restricting the 
practice of medicine by curtailing economic ac-
tivity. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to remove 
from the Secretary such improper authority, which pre-
sents a threat to the health and welfare of patients in the 
United States. 
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF RESTRICTIONS ON THE PROFESSIONAL 
PRACTICE 
OF 
PHYSICIANS 
AND 
OTHER 
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ENTERING INTO 
CONTRACTS WITH HEALTH PLANS. 
Section 1311 of the Patient Protection and Afford-
able Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18031) is amended by striking 
subsection (h), relating to the authority of the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services to regulate contracts be-
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tween qualified health plans and health care providers 
based on findings of health care quality. 
Æ 
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