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HR 3613 116th Congress House Health Health care coverage and access Hospital care Medicaid

SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019

Introduced: July 2, 2019 Introduced by: Bilirakis, Gus M. Republican · Florida See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 3, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jul 2, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jul 2, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

State Accountability, Flexibility, and Equity for Hospitals Act of 2019 or the SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019

This bill alters Medicaid requirements relating to payment for inpatient hospital services that are provided by disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs). (DSHs are hospitals that receive additional payment under Medicaid for treating a large share of low-income patients.)

Among other changes, the bill requires state Medicaid programs to adopt a payment methodology that meets certain criteria, including by prioritizing payments based on the DSH tier for which the hospital qualifies; tiers are determined based on factors such as the hospital's Medicaid inpatient utilization rate.

The bill also incorporates state poverty ratios (i.e., the number of qualifying low-income individuals in a state compared to all states) into the formula for determining state DSH allotments under Medicaid. The bill phases in application of the revised formula over the course of 10 to 15 years.

What's happening now July 3, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 18 Identical bill SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3613: SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3613/
MLA
"H.R. 3613: SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3613/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3613, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3613/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3613: SAFE Hospitals Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3613/)
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