Title: Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2020
This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and otherwise modifies certain grant programs in the Department of Health and Human Services for (1) rural health services outreach, (2) rural health network development, and (3) small health care provider quality improvement. Among other changes, the bill expands eligibility for certain grants to include entities that are not nonprofits.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3437 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3437

      To reauthorize certain programs regarding rural health care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 11, 2020

  Mrs. Loeffler (for herself and Ms. Smith) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To reauthorize certain programs regarding rural health care.

    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 ``Improving Care in Rural America 
Reauthorization Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. RURAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES OUTREACH, RURAL HEALTH NETWORK 
              DEVELOPMENT, AND SMALL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER QUALITY 
              IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAMS.

    Section 330A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (d)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``essential'' 
                and inserting ``basic''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
                        inserting ``to'' after ``grants''; and
                            (ii) in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), by 
                        striking ``to'' each place such term appears;
            (2) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``improving and'' after 
                        ``outreach by'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``, through community 
                        engagement and evidence-based or innovative, 
                        evidence-informed models'' before the period of 
                        the first sentence; and
                            (iii) by striking ``3 years'' and inserting 
                        ``5 years''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by inserting ``shall'' after ``entity'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``shall be a rural public or rural nonprofit 
                        private entity'' and inserting ``be an entity 
                        proposing to serve rural underserved 
                        populations'';
                            (iii) in subparagraphs (B) and (C), by 
                        striking ``shall'' each place such term 
                        appears; and
                            (iv) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding clause 
                                (i), by inserting ``that'' after 
                                ``members''; and
                                    (II) in clauses (i) and (ii), by 
                                striking ``that'' each place such term 
                                appears;
            (3) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding clause 
                                (i), by striking ``promote, through 
                                planning and implementation, the 
                                development of integrated health care 
                                networks that have combined the 
                                functions of the entities participating 
                                in the networks'' and inserting ``plan 
                                and implement integrated health care 
                                networks that collaborate''; and
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``essential health care services'' and 
                                inserting ``basic health care services 
                                and associated health outcomes''; and
                            (ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 
                        as follows:
                    ``(B) Grant periods.--The Director may award grants 
                under this subsection for periods of not more than 5 
                years.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by inserting ``shall'' after ``entity'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``shall be a rural public or rural nonprofit 
                        private entity'' and inserting ``be an entity 
                        proposing to serve rural underserved 
                        populations'';
                            (iii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding clause 
                                (i)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``shall''; 
                                        and
                                            (bb) by inserting ``that'' 
                                        after ``participants''; and
                                    (II) in clauses (i) and (ii), by 
                                striking ``that'' each place such term 
                                appears; and
                            (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``shall'';
            (4) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``, including activities 
                        related to increasing care coordination, 
                        enhancing chronic disease management, and 
                        improving patient health outcomes'' before the 
                        period of the first sentence; and
                            (ii) by striking ``3 years'' and inserting 
                        ``5 years''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by inserting ``shall'' after ``entity'';
                            (ii) in subparagraphs (A) and (B), by 
                        striking ``shall'' each place such term 
                        appears; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by inserting 
                        ``or regional'' after ``local'';
            (5) in subsection (h)(3), in the matter preceding 
        subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, as appropriate,'' after 
        ``the Secretary'';
            (6) by amending subsection (i) to read as follows:
    ``(i) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 
of the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2020, and 
every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a 
report on the activities and outcomes of the grant programs under 
subsections (e), (f), and (g), including the impact of projects funded 
under such programs on the health status of rural residents with 
chronic conditions.''; and
            (7) in subsection (j), by striking ``$45,000,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2008 through 2012'' and inserting ``$79,500,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025''.
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