Financial Relief for Civilians Treated at Military Hospitals Act
Bill: S.5173 | Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Financial Relief for Civilians Treated at Military Hospitals Act
This bill prohibits the Department of Defense (or the military departments) from attempting to collect a debt owed by a civilian not covered under TRICARE for certain emergency medical treatment at a military medical treatment facility. The bill also prohibits a military medical treatment facility from charging any fee for certain emergency medical treatment provided to a civilian who is not covered under TRICARE, or a third-party payer of such civilian (e.g., Medicare).

To amend title 31 and title 10, United States Code, to address claims 
of the United States Government relating to certain treatment received 
 by civilians at military medical treatment facilities, 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 ``Financial Relief for Civilians 
Treated at Military Hospitals Act''.

SEC. 2. DEBT ARISING FROM TREATMENT AT MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT 
              FACILITIES.

    Section 3711 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (g)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(v), by striking ``and'' at 
                the end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(C) to any debt or claim described in subsection (j).''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military 
department (as defined in section 101 of title 10) may not take an 
action under subsection (a) to collect a claim arising from covered 
treatment (as defined in section 1079b(b) of that title) provided at a 
military medical treatment facility to a civilian who is not a covered 
beneficiary (as defined in section 1072 of that title).''.

SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON FEES CHARGED TO CIVILIANS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
              TREATMENT PROVIDED AT MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT 
              FACILITIES.

    Section 1079b of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections 
        (c) and (d), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
        subsection (b):
    ``(b) Limitation on Fees for Certain Treatment.--(1) Under the 
procedures developed under subsection (a), a military medical treatment 
facility may not charge a civilian who is not a covered beneficiary, or 
a third-party payer of such civilian, any fee for covered treatment 
provided to such civilian at such facility.
    ``(2) In this subsection:
            ``(A) The term `covered treatment', with respect to 
        treatment provided to a civilian at a military medical 
        treatment facility, means treatment provided for a medical 
        emergency or in connection with an emergency inpatient 
        admission.
            ``(B) The terms `emergency inpatient admission' and 
        `medical emergency' have the meanings given those terms in 
        section 199.2 of title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
        successor regulations.
            ``(C) The term `third-party payer' means--
                    ``(i) an entity described in section 1095(h)(1) of 
                this title;
                    ``(ii) the Medicare program under title XVIII of 
                the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.); or
                    ``(iii) the Medicaid program under title XIX of 
                such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).''.
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