Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-989
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blunt, Roy [R-MO]
Introduced: 2017-04-28
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health

Health care coverage and access

Health facilities and institutions

Health personnel

Medical education

Mental health

Student aid and college costs
Latest action: action_date: 2017-04-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-04-28
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Ensuring Children&rsquo;s Access to Specialty Care Act of 2017</b></p> <p>This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include pediatric subspecialties in primary health services for purposes of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Psychiatrists who are pediatric subspecialists are included in behavioral and mental health professionals. (These amendments make pediatric subspecialists, including psychiatrists, eligible for the NHSC fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, the NHSC Scholarship Program, and the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.)</p> &ldquo;Health professional shortage area&rdquo; can mean an underserved population of children and adolescents.

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 989 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 28, 2017 Mr. Blunt (for himself and Mr. Reed ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation of pediatric subspecialists in the National Health Service Corps program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Children’s Access to Specialty Care Act of 2017 . 2. Participation of pediatric subspecialties in National Health Service Corps (a) Primary health services definition Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254d(a)(3)(D) ) is amended by inserting (and pediatric subspecialties and special qualifications in pediatrics) after pediatrics . (b) Behavioral and mental health professionals definition Section 331(a)(3)(E)(i) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254d(a)(3)(E)(i) ) is amended by inserting (including pediatric subspecialists thereof) after psychiatrists . (c) Health professional shortage areas Section 332(a) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254e(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting (including such a population group of children and adolescents) after shortage ; and (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting pediatric subspecialty medical residency or fellowship training site, after health department, . (d) Loan repayment program Subparagraph (B) of section 338B(b)(1) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254l–1(b)(1) ) is amended by inserting (including a pediatric subspecialty residency or fellowship training program) before the semicolon.