S.Amdt. 3137

SA 3137. Mr. BEGICH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2786 proposed by Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr.
Dodd, and Mr. Harkin) to the bill H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the
case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal
employees, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the
table; as follows:

On page 1339, between lines 18 and 19, insert the
following:

[[Page S12936]]

SEC. 5211. INCREASING ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE SERVICES.

(a) State Grants to Health Care Providers Who Provide
Services to a High Percentage of Medically Underserved
Populations or Other Special Populations.--
(1) In general.--A State may award grants to health care
providers who treat a high percentage, as determined by such
State, of medically underserved populations or other special
populations in such State.
(2) Source of funds.--A grant program established by a
State under paragraph (1) may not be established within a
department, agency, or other entity of such State that
administers the Medicaid program under title XIX of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), and no Federal
or State funds allocated to such Medicaid program, the
Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), or the TRICARE program under
chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, may be used to
award grants or to pay administrative costs associated with a
grant program established under paragraph (1).
(b) Providing for Underserved Medicare Populations
Demonstration Project.--Subpart III of part D of title III of
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 338N. PROVIDING FOR UNDERSERVED MEDICARE POPULATIONS
DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, in not
more than 5 States, a demonstration project, to be known as
the Providing for Underserved Medicare Populations
Demonstration Project, for the purpose of encouraging health
care providers who are recent graduates of a health care
program to enter into primary care practice, by providing
incentive payments to eligible primary health services
providers.
``(b) Demonstration Project.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall grant awards, on a
competitive basis, to eligible primary health services
providers, as described in paragraph (2). Each recipient of
such an award shall receive such award for a period of 3
years, provided such recipient continues to meet the
eligibility criteria described in subsection (c).
``(2) Award amounts.--Each award described in paragraph (1)
shall be in an amount not to exceed--
``(A) $50,000 per year for the repayment of student loans
associated with the health care educational expenses of such
recipient; or
``(B) $37,500 per year in cash incentive payments.
``(c) Eligible Primary Health Services Providers.--The
Secretary shall establish criteria for individuals to be
eligible to receive an award under this section, which shall
include requirements that such individual--
``(1) be actively employed as a primary health services
provider, or have arrangements to commence active employment
as a primary health services provider, in one of the 5 States
that the Secretary has selected for participation in this
demonstration project and in a community with a population of
not less than 35,000 and not more than 350,000 and not
designated as a health professional shortage area;
``(2) have graduated, not more than 2 years after the date
on which such individual would begin receiving incentive
payments under this project, from an accredited program that
qualifies such individual to maintain employment as a primary
health services provider;
``(3) agree that, of the patients receiving care from such
primary health services provider in the period during which
such individual participates in the project, not less than 60
percent of such patients shall be enrolled in the Medicare
program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act;
``(4) be employed, as described in paragraph (1), in a
State in which the 65-and-over population is expected to grow
at least 50 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to
United States Census Bureau projections; and
``(5) meet such other eligibility criteria established by
the Secretary.
``(d) Duration of Program.--The Secretary shall make
initial awards to individuals under this section for each of
fiscal years 2011 through 2013.
``(e) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2015, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report concerning the
results of the demonstration project.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this
section, there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000
for fiscal years 2011 through 2015.''.
(c) Faculty Loan Repayment for Physician Assistants.--
Section 738(a)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C.293b(a)(3)) is amended by inserting ``schools offering
physician assistant education programs,'' after ``public
health,''.
(d) National Health Service Corps.--
(1) Fulfillment of obligated service requirement through
half-time service.--
(A) Waivers.--Subsection (i) of section 331 (42 U.S.C.
254d) is amended--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``In carrying out subpart
III'' and all that follows through the period and inserting
``In carrying out subpart III, the Secretary may, in
accordance with this subsection, issue waivers to individuals
who have entered into a contract for obligated service under
the Scholarship Program or the Loan Repayment Program under
which the individuals are authorized to satisfy the
requirement of obligated service through providing clinical
practice that is half time.'';
(ii) in paragraph (2)--

(I) in subparagraphs (A)(ii) and (B), by striking ``less
than full time'' each place it appears and inserting ``half
time'';
(II) in subparagraphs (C) and (F), by striking ``less than
full-time service'' each place it appears and inserting
``half-time service''; and
(III) by amending subparagraphs (D) and (E) to read as
follows:

``(D) the entity and the Corps member agree in writing that
the Corps member will perform half-time clinical practice;
``(E) the Corps member agrees in writing to fulfill all of
the service obligations under section 338C through half-time
clinical practice and either--
``(i) double the period of obligated service that would
otherwise be required; or
``(ii) in the case of contracts entered into under section
338B, accept a minimum service obligation of 2 years with an
award amount equal to 50 percent of the amount that would
otherwise be payable for full-time service; and''; and
(iii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``In evaluating a
demonstration project described in paragraph (1)'' and
inserting ``In evaluating waivers issued under paragraph
(1)''.
(B) Definitions.--Subsection (j) of section 331 (42 U.S.C.
254d) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(5) The terms `full time' and `full-time' mean a minimum
of 40 hours per week in a clinical practice, for a minimum of
45 weeks per year.
``(6) The terms `half time' and `half-time' mean a minimum
of 20 hours per week (not to exceed 39 hours per week) in a
clinical practice, for a minimum of 45 weeks per year.''.
(2) Reappointment to national advisory council.--Section
337(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 254j(b)(1)) is amended by striking
``Members may not be reappointed to the Council.''.
(3) Loan repayment amount.--Section 338B(g)(2)(A) (42
U.S.C. 254l-1(g)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``$35,000''
and inserting ``$50,000, plus, beginning with fiscal year
2012, an amount determined by the Secretary on an annual
basis to reflect inflation,''.
(4) Treatment of teaching as obligated service.--Subsection
(a) of section 338C (42 U.S.C. 254m) is amended by adding at
the end the following: ``The Secretary may treat teaching as
clinical practice for up to 20 percent of such period of
obligated service.''.
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