HB 1661 — An Act amending the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the Health Care Facilities Act, in licensing of health care facilities, providing for reporting costs associated with health care for illegal migrants.

PRINTER'S NO.   2019

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1661
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY RASEL, M. MACKENZIE, KUZMA, STAATS AND M. JONES,
        JUNE 24, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JUNE 25, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), entitled "An
 2      act relating to health care; prescribing the powers and
 3      duties of the Department of Health; establishing and
 4      providing the powers and duties of the State Health
 5      Coordinating Council, health systems agencies and Health Care
 6      Policy Board in the Department of Health, and State Health
 7      Facility Hearing Board in the Department of Justice;
 8      providing for certification of need of health care providers
 9      and prescribing penalties," in licensing of health care
10      facilities, providing for reporting costs associated with
11      health care for illegal migrants.
12      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13   hereby enacts as follows:
14      Section 1.    The act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known
15   as the Health Care Facilities Act, is amended by adding a
16   section to read:
17   Section 806.5.    Reporting costs associated with health care for
18               illegal migrants.
19      (a)   Annual hospital report.--Within 30 days after the end of
20   each calendar year, a hospital licensed under this act shall
21   submit a report to the department detailing the number of
22   hospital admissions and emergency department visits made by
 1   illegal migrants within the previous calendar year.
 2      (b)   Annual department report.--
 3            (1)   By March 1 of each year, the department shall post
 4      a report on the department's publicly accessible Internet
 5      website with the total number of hospital admissions and
 6      emergency department visits made by illegal migrants within
 7      the previous calendar year. In the report, the department
 8      shall also include information relating to the costs of
 9      uncompensated care for illegal migrants, the impact of
10      uncompensated care on the cost or ability of hospitals to
11      provide services to the public, hospital funding needs and
12      other related information.
13            (2)   The department shall submit the report under
14      paragraph (1) to all of the following:
15                  (i)    The Governor.
16                  (ii)    The President pro tempore of the Senate.
17                  (iii)    The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
18                  (iv)    The Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the
19            Senate.
20                  (v)    The Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the
21            House of Representatives.
22                  (vi)    The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
23            Health and Human Services Committee of the Senate.
24                  (vii)    The chairperson and minority chairperson of
25            the Health Committee of the House of Representatives.
26      (c)   Regulations.--The department shall promulgate
27   regulations necessary to implement this section.
28      (d)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
29   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
30   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

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1      "Illegal migrant."   An individual who is present in the
2   United States in violation of 8 U.S.C. Ch. 12 (relating to
3   immigration and nationality).
4      "Uncompensated care."   The cost of care provided to patients
5   financially unable or unwilling to pay for services provided by
6   a hospital.
7      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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