I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 548 
To improve access to emergency medical services, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2017 
Mr. DENT (for himself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. KELLY of Pennsyl-
vania, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. GOSAR, and Mr. HARPER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To improve access to emergency medical services, 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 ‘‘Health Care Safety 
Net Enhancement Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY. 
The constitutional authority upon which this Act 
rests is the power of the Congress to provide for the gen-
eral welfare, to regulate commerce, and to make all laws 
which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into exe-
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cution Federal powers, as enumerated in section 8 of arti-
cle I of the Constitution of the United States. 
SEC. 3. PROTECTION FOR EMERGENCY AND RELATED 
SERVICES 
FURNISHED 
PURSUANT 
TO 
EMTALA. 
Section 224(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 233(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘An entity’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (6), an entity’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6)(A) For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(i) an entity described in subparagraph 
(B) shall be considered to be an entity de-
scribed in paragraph (4); and 
‘‘(ii) the provisions of this section shall 
apply to an entity described in subparagraph 
(B) in the same manner as such provisions 
apply to an entity described in paragraph (4), 
except that— 
‘‘(I) 
notwithstanding 
paragraph 
(1)(B), the deeming of any entity described 
in subparagraph (B), or of an officer, gov-
erning board member, employee, con-
tractor, or on-call provider of such an enti-
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ty, to be an employee of the Public Health 
Service for purposes of this section shall 
apply only with respect to items and serv-
ices that are furnished to an individual 
pursuant to section 1867 of the Social Se-
curity Act and to post stabilization services 
(as defined in subparagraph (D)) furnished 
to such an individual; 
‘‘(II) nothing in paragraph (1)(D) 
shall be construed as preventing a physi-
cian or physician group described in sub-
paragraph (B)(ii) from making the appli-
cation referred to in such paragraph or as 
conditioning the deeming of a physician or 
physician group that makes such an appli-
cation upon receipt by the Secretary of an 
application from the hospital or emergency 
department that employs or contracts with 
the physician or group, or enlists the phy-
sician or physician group as an on-call pro-
vider; 
‘‘(III) notwithstanding paragraph (3), 
this paragraph shall apply only with re-
spect to causes of action arising from acts 
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or omissions that occur on or after Janu-
ary 1, 2016; 
‘‘(IV) paragraph (5) shall not apply to 
a physician or physician group described in 
subparagraph (B)(ii); 
‘‘(V) the Attorney General, in con-
sultation with the Secretary, shall make 
separate estimates under subsection (k)(1) 
with respect to entities described in sub-
paragraph (B) and entities described in 
paragraph (4) (other than those described 
in subparagraph (B)), and the Secretary 
shall establish separate funds under sub-
section (k)(2) with respect to such groups 
of entities, and any appropriations under 
this subsection for entities described in 
subparagraph (B) shall be separate from 
the amounts authorized by subsection 
(k)(2); 
‘‘(VI) 
notwithstanding 
subsection 
(k)(2), the amount of the fund established 
by the Secretary under such subsection 
with respect to entities described in sub-
paragraph (B) may exceed a total of 
$10,000,000 for a fiscal year; and 
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‘‘(VII) subsection (m) shall not apply 
to entities described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) An entity described in this subparagraph 
is— 
‘‘(i) a hospital or an emergency depart-
ment to which section 1867 of the Social Secu-
rity Act applies; and 
‘‘(ii) a physician or physician group that is 
employed by, is under contract with, or is an 
on-call provider of such hospital or emergency 
department, to furnish items and services to in-
dividuals under such section. 
‘‘(C) For purposes of this paragraph, the term 
‘on-call provider’ means a physician or physician 
group that— 
‘‘(i) has full, temporary, or locum tenens 
staff privileges at a hospital or emergency de-
partment to which section 1867 of the Social 
Security Act applies; and 
‘‘(ii) is not employed by or under contract 
with such hospital or emergency department, 
but agrees to be ready and available to provide 
services pursuant to section 1867 of the Social 
Security Act or post stabilization services to in-
dividuals being treated in the hospital or emer-
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gency department with or without compensation 
from the hospital or emergency department. 
‘‘(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the term 
‘post stabilization services’ means, with respect to an 
individual who has been treated by an entity de-
scribed in subparagraph (B) for purposes of com-
plying with section 1867 of the Social Security Act, 
services that are— 
‘‘(i) related to the condition that was so 
treated; and 
‘‘(ii) provided after the individual is sta-
bilized in order to maintain the stabilized condi-
tion or to improve or resolve the condition of 
the individual. 
‘‘(E)(i) Nothing in this paragraph (or in any 
other provision of this section as such provision ap-
plies to entities described in subparagraph (B) by 
operation of subparagraph (A)) shall be construed as 
authorizing or requiring the Secretary to make pay-
ments to such entities, the budget authority for 
which is not provided in advance by appropriation 
Acts. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall limit the total amount 
of payments under this paragraph for a fiscal year 
to the total amount appropriated in advance by ap-
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