Rural America Health Corps Act

Marsha Blackburn

Republican · TN · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Gary C. Peters (D-MI)Original· 2026-03-25
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)Original· 2026-03-25
• Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)Original· 2026-03-25
• Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)Original· 2026-03-25

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

2026-03-25

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would create a program to recruit and train health care workers to serve in rural communities that struggle to attract doctors and nurses. Participants would receive education support or loan forgiveness in exchange for committing to work in underserved rural areas for a set period. The program aims to address doctor and nurse shortages in rural America by making it more attractive for health professionals to practice in these regions.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4208 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4208 To establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 25, 2026 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Peters, and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. 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 ``Rural America Health Corps Act''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS RURAL PROVIDER LOAN REPAYMENT DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. (a) In General.-- (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a demonstration program to provide payments on the principal of and interest on any eligible loan for eligible individuals described in paragraph (2). (2) Eligible individuals.--To be eligible for payments under the program under this section, an individual shall-- (A) be eligible to participate in the Loan Repayment Program under section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1), but not be participating in such Loan Repayment Program; and (B) agree to the requirements described in subsection (b)(1). (b) Procedure.-- (1) Requirements.--To be eligible to receive assistance under this section, an eligible individual shall-- (A) comply with all rules and requirements described in section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1), except for the period of obligated service described in subsection (f)(1)(B)(iv) of such section and as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection; and (B) agree to a period of obligated service of 5 years of full-time employment in a health professional shortage area that is a rural area. (2) Payments.-- (A) Service in a rural area.--The Secretary shall pay-- (i) for each year of obligated service by an individual pursuant to an agreement under this section, \1/5\ of the principal of and interest on each eligible loan, as determined by the Secretary, which is outstanding on the date the individual began service pursuant to the agreement; and (ii) for completion of the fifth and final year of such service, the remainder of such principal and interest. (B) Maximum amount.--The total amount of payments under this section to any individual shall not exceed $200,000. (3) Breach.-- (A) Liquidated damages formula.--The Secretary may establish a liquidated damages formula to be used in the event of a breach of an agreement entered into under this section. (B) Limitation.--The failure by an individual to complete the full period of service obligated pursuant to such an agreement, taken alone, shall not constitute a breach of such agreement, so long as the individual completed in good faith the years of service for which payments were made to the individual under this section. (4) Applicability of loan repayment program provisions.-- Except as otherwise provided in this section, all provisions in subparts II and III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) pertaining to the administration of, and other requirements with respect to, the Loan Repayment Program described in section 338B of such Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) shall apply to the demonstration…

program under this section. (c) Designations.--The demonstration program under this section, and any providers who are selected to participate in such program, shall not be considered by the Secretary in the designation of health professional shortage areas under section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) during fiscal years 2026 through 2030. (d) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that evaluates the demonstration program established under this section, including the effects of such program on health care access in rural areas. (e) Health Professional Shortage Area.--In this section, the term ``health professional shortage area'' has the meaning given such term in section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031. <all>

• S4659A bill to provide additional election security funding to States providing voter registration information to the Department of Homeland Security.
  Referred to Committee · 2026-06-02
• S3023Safe Cloud Storage Act
  Passed Senate · 2026-05-21
• S1572Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act
  Reported by Committee · 2026-05-11
• S3653Veterans’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026
  Referred to Committee · 2026-04-29