Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022
Bill: S.3497 | Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. (R-OK)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022
This bill provides statutory authority for the Medical Student Education Program, through which the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awards matching grants for expanding and supporting medical education with a particular focus on training students to serve as primary care physicians in tribal, rural, or medically underserved communities.
HRSA must award the grants to public institutions of higher education located in states that rank in the top quartile of states based on projected unmet demand for primary care providers. In awarding the grants, HRSA must give priority to recipients that (1) are located in states with two or more federally recognized Indian tribes, and (2) demonstrate a public-private partnership.
Recipients must use grant funds for specified activities that include developing curricula, expanding partnerships with health care providers and community-based organizations, and providing scholarships.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to 
 award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a 
                 covered State, 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 ``Medical Student Education 
Authorization Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Access to high quality primary care is associated with 
        improved health outcomes and lower health care costs.
            (2) Substantial disparities exist in the distribution of 
        primary care providers.
            (3) Shortages of health care providers affect Tribal, 
        rural, and medically underserved communities more than the 
        populations of more densely populated areas, resulting in such 
        communities experiencing significant health challenges and 
        disparities.
            (4) American Indian, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians 
        tend to have lower health status, lower life expectancy, and 
        disproportionate disease burden when compared to other 
        Americans.
            (5) Having training experiences in, living among, and being 
        a member of Tribal, rural, and medically underserved 
        communities increases cultural awareness and can influence 
        career choice for physicians to better serve such populations.
            (6) Research shows there is a relationship between the 
        characteristics of a physician and the eventual practice 
        location, including being part of an underrepresented minority 
        or growing up in a rural area.

SEC. 3. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR 
              UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS.

    Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 742. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR 
              UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
shall establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions 
of higher education located in a covered State to carry out the 
activities described in subsection (d) for the purposes of--
            ``(1) expanding and supporting education for medical 
        students who are preparing to become physicians in a covered 
        State; and
            ``(2) preparing and encouraging each such student training 
        in a covered State to serve Tribal, rural, or medically 
        underserved communities as a primary care physician after 
        completing such training.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, a public institution of higher education shall 
submit an application to the Secretary that includes--
            ``(1) a certification that such institution will use 
        amounts provided to the institution to carry out the activities 
        described in subsection (d); and
            ``(2) a description of how such institution will carry out 
        such activities.
    ``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give priority to public institutions of higher 
education that--
            ``(1) are located in a State with not fewer than 2 
        federally recognized Tribes; and
            ``(2) demonstrate a public-private partnership.
    ``(d) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall use the funds made available under such 
grant to carry out the following activities:
            ``(1) Support or expand community-based experiential 
        training for medical students who will practice in or serve 
        Tribal, rural, and medically underserved communities.
            ``(2) Develop and operate programs to train medical 
        students in primary care services.
            ``(3) Develop and implement curricula that--
                    ``(A) includes a defined set of clinical and 
                community-based training activities that emphasize care 
                for Tribal, rural, or medically underserved 
                communities;
                    ``(B) is applicable to primary care practice with 
                respect to individuals from Tribal, rural, or medically 
                underserved communities;
                    ``(C) identifies and addresses challenges to health 
                equity, including the needs of Tribal, rural, and 
                medically underserved communities;
                    ``(D) supports the use of telehealth technologies 
                and practices;
                    ``(E) considers social determinants of health in 
                care plan development;
                    ``(F) integrates behavioral health care into 
                primary care practice, including prevention and 
                treatment of opioid disorders and other substance use 
                disorders;
                    ``(G) promotes interprofessional training that 
                supports a patient-centered model of care; and
                    ``(H) builds cultural and linguistic competency.
            ``(4) Increase the capacity of faculty to implement the 
        curricula described in paragraph (3).
            ``(5) Develop or expand strategic partnerships to improve 
        health outcomes for individuals from Tribal, rural, and 
        medically underserved communities, including with--
                    ``(A) federally recognized Tribes, Tribal colleges, 
                and Tribal organizations;
                    ``(B) Federally-qualified health centers;
                    ``(C) rural health clinics;
                    ``(D) Indian health programs;
                    ``(E) primary care delivery sites and systems; and
                    ``(F) other community-based organizations.
            ``(6) Develop a plan to track graduates' chosen specialties 
        for residency and the States in which such residency programs 
        are located.
            ``(7) Develop, implement, and evaluate methods to improve 
        recruitment and retention of medical students from Tribal, 
        rural, and medically underserved communities.
            ``(8) Train and support instructors to serve Tribal, rural, 
        and medically underserved communities.
            ``(9) Prepare medical students for transition into primary 
        care residency training and future practice.
            ``(10) Provide scholarships to medical students.
    ``(e) Grant Period.--A grant under this section shall be awarded 
for a period of not more than 5 years.
    ``(f) Grant Amount.--Each fiscal year, the amount of a grant made 
to a public institution of higher education under this section shall be 
in amount that is not less than $1,000,000.
    ``(g) Matching Requirement.--Each public institution of higher 
education that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 
non-Federal sources, an amount equal to or greater than 10 percent of 
the total amount of Federal funds provided to the institution each 
fiscal year during the period of the grant (which may be provided in 
cash or in kind).
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered state.--The term `covered State' means a 
        State that is in the top quartile of States by projected unmet 
        demand for primary care providers, as determined by the 
        Secretary.
            ``(2) Federally-qualified health center.--The term 
        `Federally-qualified health center' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act.
            ``(3) Indian health program.--The term `Indian health 
        program' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 
        Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
            ``(4) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
        provided that such institution is public in nature.
            ``(5) Medically underserved community.--The term `medically 
        underserved community' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 799B.
            ``(6) Rural health clinic.--The term `rural health clinic' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 1861(aa) of the 
        Social Security Act.
            ``(7) Rural population.--The term `rural population' means 
        the population of a geographical area located--
                    ``(A) in a non-metropolitan county; or
                    ``(B) in a metropolitan county designated as rural 
                by the Administrator of the Health Resources and 
                Services Administration.
            ``(8) Tribal population.--The term `Tribal population' 
        means the population of any Indian Tribe recognized by the 
        Secretary of the Interior pursuant to section 104 of the 
        Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $150,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.''.
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