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 physi-
cians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medi-
care Program. 
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 ‘‘Partnership to Improve 
Seniors Access to Medicare Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR QUALIFYING 
PHYSICIANS 
AND 
NURSE 
PRACTITIONERS 
PARTICIPATING IN MEDICARE. 
(a) LOANS.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
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shall establish a program of entering into contracts with 
eligible individuals under which— 
(1) the eligible individual agrees— 
(A) to serve as a physician or nurse practi-
tioner who is a participating physician or sup-
plier (as defined in section 1842(h)(1) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(h)(1))); 
and 
(B) subject to subsection (b), to accept, to 
the greatest extent possible, Medicare individ-
uals who seek the services of such eligible indi-
vidual; and 
(2) the Secretary agrees to pay on behalf of the 
eligible individual, for each year the eligible indi-
vidual is in compliance with subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) of paragraph (1), not more than $20,000 of the 
principal and interest on government and commer-
cial loans received by the eligible individual regard-
ing the undergraduate or graduate education (or 
both) of the eligible individual. 
(b) REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
for an eligible individual to be in compliance with 
subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 
30 percent of the number of individuals to whom the 
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eligible individual furnishes services during such 
year must be Medicare individuals. 
(2) APPLICATION
TO
GROUP
PRACTICES.—In 
the case of an eligible individual in a medical group 
practice, for such individual to be in compliance with 
subsection (a)(1)(B) with respect to a year, at least 
30 percent of the number of individuals to whom 
such group practice furnishes services during such 
year must be Medicare individuals. 
(c) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual who— 
(1) has a degree in medicine or osteopathic 
medicine or who is certified as a nurse practitioner; 
and 
(2) submits to the Secretary an application for 
a contract described in subsection (a), in a manner 
and time, and containing such information, as speci-
fied by the Secretary. 
(d) MEDICARE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘Medicare individual’’ means an individual 
who is entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII of 
the Social Security Act and enrolled under part B of such 
title. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 
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such sums as are necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2009 through 2014. 
Æ 
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