Title: Tribal Health Care Protection Fund Act
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
Tribal Health Care Protection Fund Act
This bill provides additional appropriations for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for the Indian Health Service, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and be reimbursed for certain expenses or lost revenues due to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19). Such funds must be available for, among other things, health care services, medical supplies and equipment (e.g., personal protective equipment and testing supplies), training, and surge capacity.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6836 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6836

  To amend the CARES Act to provide for payments to the Indian Health 
    Service, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian 
  organizations from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency 
                     Fund, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2020

Mr. Ruiz (for himself, Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
  Kilmer, Mr. Cook, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. O'Halleran, Ms. Haaland, Mr. 
    Huffman, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Mullin, and Mr. Heck) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the CARES Act to provide for payments to the Indian Health 
    Service, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian 
  organizations from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency 
                     Fund, 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 ``Tribal Health Care Protection Fund 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING FOR PAYMENTS TO INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE, INDIAN TRIBES, 
              TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS FROM 
              PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES EMERGENCY FUND.

    (a) In General.--Title VIII of division B of the CARES Act (Public 
Law 116-136) is amended by adding at the end of the matter under the 
heading ``Department of Health and Human Services--Office of the 
Secretary--Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund'' the 
following:
            ``For an additional amount for `Public Health and Social 
        Services Emergency Fund', $1,700,000,000, to remain available 
        until expended, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
        coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for necessary 
        expenses to provide reimbursement, through contracts, compacts, 
        or other agreements as authorized by the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (25 U.S.C. 
        450), or through other mechanisms for federally operated Indian 
        Health Service facilities, for health care-related expenses or 
        lost revenues incurred by the Indian Health Service, Indian 
        Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations 
        that are attributable to coronavirus: Provided, That these 
        funds may not be used to reimburse expenses or losses that have 
        been reimbursed from other sources: Provided further, That 
        payments under this paragraph shall not be in the form of an 
        interest loan or otherwise, but rather shall be one-time 
        payments for related health care expenses or lost revenues: 
        Provided further, That recipients of payments under this 
        paragraph shall submit reports and maintain documentation as 
        the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines are 
        needed to ensure compliance with conditions that are imposed by 
        this paragraph for such payments, and such reports and 
        documentation shall be in such form, with such content, and in 
        such time as the Secretary may prescribe for such purpose: 
        Provided further, That `Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations' 
        have such meaning as defined under section 4 of the Indian 
        Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act: Provided 
        further, That `urban Indian organization' has such meaning as 
        defined under section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
        Act: Provided further, That the Secretary shall, on a rolling 
        basis, review applications and make payments under this 
        paragraph in this Act: Provided further, That funds 
        appropriated under this paragraph in this Act shall be 
        available for health care services, building or construction of 
        temporary structures, leasing of properties, medical supplies 
        and equipment, including personal protective equipment and 
        testing supplies, increased workforce and trainings, emergency 
        operation centers, retrofitting facilities, and surge capacity: 
        Provided further, That, in this paragraph, the term `payment' 
        means a pre-payment, prospective payment, or retrospective 
        payment, as determined appropriate by the Secretary: Provided 
        further, That payments under this paragraph shall be made in 
        consideration of the most efficient payment systems practicable 
        to provide emergency payment: Provided further, That to be 
        eligible for a payment under this paragraph, the Indian Health 
        Service and each Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, and urban 
        Indian organization shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application that includes a statement justifying the need of 
        the Indian Health Service or such Tribe, Tribal organization, 
        or urban Indian organization, respectively, for such 
        payment.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply as if included in the enactment of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-
136).
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