[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3668
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a
demonstration program to award grants to, and enter into contracts
with, medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their families
to navigate health-related programs and activities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 29, 2010
Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Bayh, and Mr. Bond) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a
demonstration program to award grants to, and enter into contracts
with, medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their families
to navigate health-related programs and activities.
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 ``Medical-Legal Partnership for Health
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Numerous studies and reports, including the annual
National Healthcare Disparities Report and Unequal Treatment,
the 2002 Institute of Medicine Report, document the
extensiveness to which vulnerable populations suffer from
health disparities across the country.
(2) These studies have found that, on average, racial and
ethnic minorities and low-income populations are
disproportionately afflicted with chronic and acute conditions
such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension and suffer
worse health outcomes, worse health status, and higher
mortality rates.
(3) Several recent studies also show that health and
healthcare quality are a function of not only access to
healthcare, but also the social determinants of health,
including the environment, the physical structure of
communities, socio-economic status, nutrition, educational
attainment, employment, race, ethnicity, geography, and
language preference, that directly and indirectly affect the
health, healthcare, and wellness of individuals and
communities.
(4) Formally integrating medical and legal professionals in
the health setting can more effectively address the health
needs of vulnerable populations and ultimately reduce health
disparities.
(5) All over the United States, healthcare providers who
take care of low-income individuals and families are partnering
with legal professionals to assist them in providing better
quality of healthcare.
(6) Medical-legal partnerships integrate lawyers in a
health setting to help patients navigate the complex
government, legal, and service systems in addressing social
determinants of health, such as income supports for food
insecure families and mold removal from the home of asthmatics.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to--
(1) support and advance opportunity for medical-legal
partnerships to be more fully integrated in healthcare settings
nationwide;
(2) to improve the quality of care for vulnerable
populations by reducing health disparities among health
disparities populations and addressing the social determinants
of health; and
(3) identify and develop cost-effective strategies that
will improve patient outcomes and realize savings for
healthcare systems.
SEC. 3. MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
establish a nationwide demonstration project consisting of--
(1) awarding grants to, and entering into contracts with,
medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their
families to navigate programs and activities; and
(2) evaluating the effectiveness of such partnerships.
(b) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may, directly or through
grants or contracts, provide technical assistance to grantees under
subsection (a)(1) to support the establishment and sustainability of
medical-legal partnerships. Not to exceed 5 percent of the amount
appropriated to carry out this section in a fiscal year may be used for
purposes of this subsection.
(c) Funding.--
(1) Use of funds.--Amounts received as a grant or pursuant
to a contract under this section shall be used to assist
patients and their families to navigate health-related programs
and activities for purposes of achieving one or more of the
following goals:
(A) Enhancing access to healthcare services.
(B) Improving health outcomes for low-income
individuals, as defined in subsection (g).
(C) Reducing health disparities among health
disparities populations.
(D) Enhancing wellness and prevention of chronic
conditions and other health problems.
(E) Reducing cost of care to the healthcare system.
(F) Addressing the social determinants of health.
(G) Addressing situational contributing factors.
(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may
be necessary, but not to exceed $10,000,000, for each of the
fiscal years 2011 through 2015.
(3) Matching requirement.--For each fiscal year, the
Secretary may not award a grant or contract under this section
to a entity unless the entity agrees to make available non-
Federal contributions (which may include in-kind contributions)
toward the costs of a grant or contract awarded under this
section in an amount that is not less than $1 for each $10 of
Federal funds provided under the grant or contract.
(4) Allocation.--Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to
paragraph (2) for a fiscal year, the Secretary may obligate not
more than 5 percent for the administrative expenses of the
Secretary in carrying out this section.
(d) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant or
contract under this section, an entity shall--
(1) be an organization experienced in bridging the medical
and legal professions on behalf of vulnerable populations
nationally; and
(2) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require, including information demonstrating that the
applicant has experience in bridging the medical and legal
professions or a strategy or plan for cultivating and building
medical-legal partnerships.
(e) Prohibitions.--No funds under this section may be used--
(1) for any medical malpractice action or proceeding;
(2) to provide any support to an alien who is not--
(A) a qualified alien (as defined in section 431 of
the Immigration and Nationality Act);
(B) a nonimmigrant under the Immigration and
Nationality Act; or
(C) an alien who is paroled into the United States
under section 212(d)(5) of such Act for less than one
year;
(3) to provide legal assistance with respect to any
proceeding or litigation which seeks to procure an abortion or
to compel any individual or institution to perform an abortion,
or assist in the performance of an abortion; or
(4) to initiate or participate in a class action lawsuit.
(f) Reports.--
(1) Final report by secretary.--Not later than 6 months
after the date of the completion of the demonstration program
under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the
results of the program and submit to the Congress a report on
such results that includes the following:
(A) An evaluation of the program outcomes,
including--
(i) a description of the extent to which
medical-legal partnerships funded through this
section achieved the goals described in
subsection (b);
(ii) quantitative and qualitative analysis
of baseline and benchmark measures; and
(iii) aggregate information about the
individuals served and program activities.
(B) Recommendations on whether the programs funded
under this section could be used to improve patient
outcomes in other public health areas.
(2) Interim reports by secretary.--The Secretary may
provide interim reports to the Congress on the demonstration
program under this section at such intervals as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
(3) Reports by grantees.--The Secretary may require each
recipient of a grant under this section to submit interim and
final reports on the programs carried out by such recipient
with such grant.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``health disparities populations'' has the
meaning given such term in section 485E(d) of the Public Health
Service Act.
(2) The term ``low-income individuals'' refers to the
population of individuals and families who earn up to 200
percent of the Federal poverty level.
(3) The term ``medical-legal partnership'' means an
entity--
(A) that is a partnership between--
(i) a community health center, public
hospital, children's hospital, or other
provider of healthcare services to a
significant number of low-income beneficiaries;
and
(ii) one or more legal professionals; and
(B) whose primary mission is to assist patients and
their families navigate health-related programs,
activities, and services through the provision of
relevant civil legal assistance on-site in the
healthcare setting involved, in conjunction with
regular training for healthcare staff and providers
regarding the connections between legal interventions,
social determinants, and health of low-income
individuals.
(4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
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