Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5621 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5621

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, and for
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 30, 2025

  Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Griffith) introduced the following
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and
  in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, and for
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapist
Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2025''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Physical therapists play an important role in the
        prevention, treatment, or management of pain for individuals,
        including those with substance use disorders, or at risk of
        developing a substance use disorder.
            (2) Physical therapists are also playing an important role
        in the physical rehabilitation needs of individuals who have
        developed chronic health conditions as a result of COVID-19.
            (3) Physical therapist services are an essential component
        of the multidisciplinary undertaking that will be required to
        improve patient access and outcomes in medically underserved
        areas.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL
              THERAPISTS IN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Mission of Corps; Definition of Primary Health Services.--
Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254d(a)(3)(D)) is amended by striking ``or mental health,'' and
inserting ``mental health, or physical therapy,''.
    (b) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--Section 332
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
    ``(l) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program
        of--
                    ``(A) identifying physical therapy health
                professional target areas; and
                    ``(B) assigning members of the Corps who are
                physical therapists to such areas.
            ``(2) Applicable provisions.--The provisions of paragraphs
        (1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of subsection (k) shall apply to
        the identification of physical therapy health professional
        target areas and the assignment of physical therapists under
        this subsection except that--
                    ``(A) references to maternity care health
                professional target areas shall be treated as
                references to physical therapy health professional
                target areas; and
                    ``(B) references to maternity care health
                professionals and maternity care shall be treated as
                references to physical therapists and physical therapy,
                respectively.''.
    (c) Loan Repayment Program.--Section 338B of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ``physical
        therapists,'' after ``dentists,'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``(1)(A) have a degree in'' and all
                that follows through the end of subparagraph (A) of
                paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1)(A)(i) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic
        medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an
        appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and
        mental health;
            ``(ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner,
        or physician assistant; or
            ``(iii) have a doctoral or master's degree in physical
        therapy;'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``physical
                therapy,'' after ``mental health,''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), by inserting
                ``physical therapy,'' after ``dentistry,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Eligibility to Participate in Other Programs.--Nothing in
this section shall be construed to prohibit any health care
professional who is eligible to participate in the program under this
section from participating in any other loan repayment program
established by the Secretary for which such professional is
eligible.''.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN
              THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    Section 10503(b)(2)(K) of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act (42 U.S.C. 254b-2(b)(2)(K)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``$172,972,603'' and inserting
        ``$187,972,603''; and
            (2) by inserting before the period at the end the
        following: ``, provided that of such amount the Secretary shall
        use not less than $15,000,000 for making loan repayments for
        physical therapists participating in the National Health
        Service Corps Loan Repayment Program under section 338B of the
        Public Health Service Act''.

SEC. 4. EXPANDING MEDICARE RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES AND FEDERALLY
              QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVICES TO INCLUDE PHYSICAL
              THERAPY SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395x(aa)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking at the end
                ``and'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by adding ``and'' at the
                end; and
                    (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the
                following new subparagraph:
            ``(E) such physical therapy services (as defined in
        subsection (p)) furnished by a physical therapist,''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ``subparagraphs (A)
        through (D)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (A) through (E)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
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