SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Numerous studies and reports, including 
the annual National Healthcare Disparities Report 
and Unequal Treatment, the 2002 Institute of Medi-
cine Report, document the extensiveness to which 
vulnerable populations suffer from health disparities 
across the country. 
(2) These studies have found that, on average, 
racial and ethnic minorities and low-income popu-
lations are disproportionately afflicted with chronic 
and acute conditions such as asthma, cancer, diabe-
tes, and hypertension and suffer worse health out-
comes, worse health status, and higher mortality 
rates. 
(3) Several recent studies also show that health 
and healthcare quality are a function of not only ac-
cess to healthcare, but also the social determinants 
of health, including the environment, the physical 
structure of communities, socio-economic status, nu-
trition, educational attainment, employment, race, 
ethnicity, geography, and language preference, that 
directly and indirectly affect the health, healthcare, 
and wellness of individuals and communities. 
(4) Formally integrating medical and legal pro-
fessionals in the health setting can more effectively 
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address the health needs of vulnerable populations 
and ultimately reduce health disparities. 
(5) All over the United States, healthcare pro-
viders who take care of low-income individuals and 
families are partnering with legal professionals to 
assist them in providing better quality of healthcare. 
(6) Medical-legal partnerships integrate lawyers 
in a health setting to help patients navigate the com-
plex government, legal, and service systems in ad-
dressing social determinants of health, such as in-
come supports for food insecure families and mold 
removal from the home of asthmatics. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) support and advance opportunity for med-
ical-legal partnerships to be more fully integrated in 
healthcare settings nationwide; 
(2) to improve the quality of care for vulnerable 
populations by reducing health disparities among 
health disparities populations and addressing the so-
cial determinants of health; and 
(3) identify and develop cost-effective strategies 
that will improve patient outcomes and realize sav-
ings for healthcare systems. 
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SEC. 3. MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall establish a nationwide demonstra-
tion project consisting of— 
(1) awarding grants to, and entering into con-
tracts with, medical-legal partnerships to assist pa-
tients and their families to navigate programs and 
activities; and 
(2) evaluating the effectiveness of such partner-
ships. 
(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, directly 
or through grants or contracts, provide technical as-
sistance to grantees under subsection (a)(1) or 
through a national organization described in para-
graph (2) to support the establishment and sustain-
ability of medical-legal partnerships. Not to exceed 5 
percent of the amount appropriated to carry out this 
section in a fiscal year may be used for purposes of 
this subsection. 
(2) NATIONAL ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED.—A 
national organization described in this paragraph is 
a national organization experienced in bringing to-
gether both the medical and legal professions on be-
half of vulnerable populations. 
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(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received as a grant 
or pursuant to a contract under this section shall be used 
to assist patients and their families to navigate health- 
related programs and activities for purposes of achieving 
one or more of the following goals: 
(1) Enhancing access to health care services. 
(2) Improving health outcomes for low-income 
individuals, as defined in subsection (h). 
(3) Reducing health disparities among health 
disparities populations. 
(4) Enhancing wellness and prevention of 
chronic conditions and other health problems. 
(5) Reducing cost of care to the healthcare sys-
tem. 
(6) Addressing the social determinants of 
health. 
(7) Addressing situational factors that con-
tribute to poor health, such as poor housing. 
(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
or contract under this section, an entity shall submit to 
the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may re-
quire, including information demonstrating that the appli-
cant has experience in bridging the medical and legal pro-
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fessions or a strategy or plan for cultivating and building 
medical-legal partnerships. 
(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—For each fiscal year, 
the Secretary may not award a grant or contract under 
this section to an entity unless the entity agrees to make 
available non-Federal contributions (which may include in- 
kind contributions) toward the costs of a grant or contract 
awarded under this section in an amount that is not less 
than $1 for each $10 of Federal funds provided under the 
grant or contract. 
(f) PROHIBITION.—No funds under this section may 
be used— 
(1) for any medical malpractice action or pro-
ceeding; 
(2) to provide any State or local public benefit 
(as defined in section 411(c) of the Personal Re-
sponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1621(c)) to an alien who is 
not— 
(A) a qualified alien (as defined in section 
431 of the Immigration and Nationality Act); 
(B) a nonimmigrant under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act; or 
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