S. 1961: Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015
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S. 1961: Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015
114th Congress · introduced 2015-08-05 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2015-08-05 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015
Plain summary
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to: (1) terminate limitations on general Medicaid funding, as well as the specific federal medical assistance percentage, for U.S. territories ; (2) extend to additional U.S. territories the authority to waive or modify certain Medicaid requirements; and (3) establish a formula for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to the territories. Federal financial participation shall generally not be available to a territory for medical assistance for an individual whose family income exceeds 100% percent of the official poverty line for a family of that size. The bill also amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct to: (1) revise the formula for the Medicare inpatient hospital services payment rate for hospitals in Puerto Rico to increase the applicable federal percentage from 75% to 100%, (2) apply Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) payments to certain hospitals in Puerto Rico, (3) establish a formula element for calculating Medicare DSH payments under the inpatient prospective payment system for certain hospitals in Puerto Rico, (4) allow residents of Puerto Rico to enroll under Medicare hospital services, (5) increase the geographic adjustment practice expense index for Puerto Rico, and (6) alter how U.S territories are treated under Medicare Advantage and the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · 5 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)
Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s1961.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>
Record fed-us-cong114-s1961 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114