Rural Health Clinic Services - Report 95-548 - Ordered to be printed

Sep 21, 2026

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Report 95-548 of the U.S. House of Representatives, 95th Congress, 1st Session, presents a committee recommendation accompanying H.R.8422 to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. The bill seeks Medicare coverage for rural health clinic services, focusing on primary care and emergency services in isolated areas where physician availability is limited. The report outlines the committee’s purpose, background from hearings in Appalachia, summary of covered services, and the rationale for cost-based reimbursement and eligibility tied to physician scarcity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose and background of the bill

Summary of the bill

wlo2 | 95TH CoNGRESS
REPORT 95-548
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session
PART I
{
} | | --- | | RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES
REPORT
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
U.S.HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ON
H.R.8422
JULY 29,1977.—Ordered to be printed
U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON :1977
89-006 | JAMES A.BURKE,MassachusettsDAN ROSTENKOWSKI,IllinoisCHARLES A.VANIK,OhioOMAR BURLESON,TexasJAMES C.CORMAN,CaliforniaSAM M.GIBBONS,F'lorida JOE D.WAGGONNER,JR.,LouisianaOTIS G.PIKE,New York J.J.PICKLE,Texas CHARLES B.RANGEL,New YorkWILLIAM R.COTTER,ConnecticutFORTNEY H.(PETE)STARK,CaliforniaJAMES R.JONES,OklahomaANDY JACOBS,JR.,IndianaABNER J.MIKVA,IllinoisMARTHA KEYS,KansasJOSEPH L.FISHER,VirginiaHAROLD FORD,TennesseeKEN HOLLAND,South CarolinaWILLIAM M.BRODHEAD,MichiganED JENKINS,Georgia RICHARD A.GEPHARDT,MissouriJIM GUY TUCKER,ArkansasRAYMOND E.LEDERER,Pennsylvania COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS AL ULLMAN,Oregon,Chairman BARBER B.CONABLE,JR.,New YorkJOHN J.DUNCAN,TennesseeBILL ARCHER,Texas GUY VANDER JAGT,MichiganWILLIAM A.STEIGER,WisconsinPHILIP M.CRANE,IllinoisBILL FRENZEL,MinnesotaJAMES G.MARTIN,North Carolina L.A.(SKIP)BAFALIS,FloridaWILLIAM M.KETCHUM,CaliforniaRICHARD T.SCHULZE,PennsylvaniaBILL GRADISON,Ohio JOHN M.MARTIN,Jr.,Chief Counsel J.P.BAKER,A88istant Cnief CounselJoHN K.MEAGHER,Minority Counsel (II) p~aeic Lan0:95mn Congon/ 197 C45LibraryC2-07-13 7500 Security Bivc.Baitimore.Maryianr!21244 CONTENTS Page 2 I.Purpose and background of the bill----II.Summary of the bill_-----------------------------III.General statement-------------------------------- 2 3 3 A.Rural health clinics-----------------------Rural health clinic services----------------Rural health clinic_-----------------------Primary care practitioner_---------- 4568 B.Demonstration projects for urban clinics_-- C.Demonstration projects for comprehensive out-patient mentalhealth centers__---9IV.Cost of carrying out the bill and effect on the revenues__9 V.Other matters to be discussed under the House rules_--10 VI.Section-by-section analysis--------11VII.Changes in existing law made by the bill,as reported---14 Mr.ULLMAN,from the Committee on Ways and Means,submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H.R.8422] The Committee on Ways and Means,to whom was referred the bill(H.R.8422)to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to p10-vide payment for rural health clinic services,having considered thesame,report favorably thereon with amendments and recommendthat the bill as amended do pass. The amendments(stated in terms of the page and line numbers ofthe introduced bill)are as follows: On the first page line 7,insert after the semicolon“and”. On the first page,strike out line 8 and all that follows down throughline 2 on page 2. Page 2,line 3,strike out“(3)”and insert in lieu thereof“(2)”. Page 2,line 15,strike out“;and”and insert in lieu thereof“,and”. Page 3,line 13,before“clinic”insert“rural health”. Page 3,line 18,after“(B)”insert the following:"in the case of afacility which is not a physician-directed clinic,”. Page 3,line 21,strike out"section 1861"and insert in lieu thereof“subsection”. Page 4,line 6,strike out “except that”and insert in lieu thereof"and. Page 4,line 7,strike out“slall have”and insert in lieu thereof“has”. Page 6,line 19,strike out“clinics,"and insert in lieu thereof“clinicservices,". Page 6,strike out line 21 and all that follows down through line 9on page 7,and insertin lieu thereof the following: (e)Section 1861(s)(2)of such Act is amended— (1)by striking out“and”at the end of subparagraph(C)(ii); (2)by inserting“and”at the end of subparagraph(D);and (3)by adding the following new subparagraph atthe end thereof:"(E)rural health clinic services;". Page 8,line 3,strike out"physician extenders"and insert "primarycare practitioners”. Page 8,beginning

FAQs

What problem does H.R.8422 target in rural areas?

It targets the lack of physicians in many rural communities, where primary and emergency care services are often not covered under Medicare.

What kinds of services does the bill aim to cover under Medicare?

It provides coverage for rural health clinic services, emphasizing primary care services traditionally performed by physicians but furnished by specially trained nonphysician primary care practitioners.

How does the report describe the bill’s reimbursement approach and eligibility limits?

The bill reimburses on the basis of costs incurred in furnishing covered services and limits eligibility to clinics located in areas of physician scarcity to address the problem efficiently.

Sep 21, 2026

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