To provide for continuing Federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to illegal aliens through foreign aid funds.

May 13, 2004

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

To provide for continuing Federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to illegal aliens through foreign aid funds.

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 `Country of Origin Healthcare Accountability Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The Census Bureau estimates that some 8 million illegal aliens reside in the United States, and health care treatment of illegal aliens imposes a substantial cost on medical providers and hospitals in numerous communities across America.

(2) American citizens should not be forced to pay for the treatment of illegal aliens, particularly when many Americans already struggle to pay their own medical expenses. Consequently, the cost of treatment of illegal aliens should be borne as a reduction in assistance provided to foreign countries.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT OF EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED TO ILLEGAL ALIENS THROUGH FOREIGN AID FUNDS.

(a) Availability of Funds- Of the amounts appropriated for any fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 2009) to carry out the provisions of sections 103, 105, 106, and 131, and chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $250,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the purpose of making allotments under the provisions referred to in subsection (b) for payments to eligible providers in States. Funds made available under the previous sentence for a fiscal year shall remain available until expended.

(b) Use of Funds- The provisions of subsections (b) through (e) of section 1011 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-173) shall apply to amounts made available for a fiscal year under subsection (a) in the same manner as they apply to amounts appropriated for a fiscal year under subsection (a) of such section.

END