42 U.S.C. § 14402 — Restriction on use of Federal funds under health care programs
submitted 29 years ago by Pub. L. 105-12 to r/title-42-THE-PUBLIC-HEALTH-AND-WELFARE · 647 words · no verdicts yet
Federal health care funding cannot pay for any item or service meant to cause a person's death, such as assisted suicide or euthanasia. This does not affect a patient's right to refuse treatment, refuse nutrition, get an abortion, or receive pain relief that isn't meant to cause death. The rule lists specific programs, like Medicare and Medicaid, that it covers.
(a) Restriction on Federal funding of health care services — Subject to (b), no funds Congress appropriates to pay, directly or indirectly, for health care services may be used to (1) provide a health care item or service meant to cause, or help cause, someone's death — such as through assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing; (2) pay for such an item or service, directly, through Federal financial participation, through matching payments, or otherwise, including related expenses; or (3) pay, in whole or in part, for health coverage that includes such an item or service or related expenses.
(b) Construction and treatment* of certain services — Nothing in (a), or anywhere else in this chapter, changes any rule about: (1) withholding or withdrawing medical treatment or care; (2) withholding or withdrawing nutrition or hydration; (3) abortion; or (4) using an item, good, benefit, or service to relieve pain or discomfort — even if it might increase the risk of death — so long as it isn't also given for the purpose of causing, or helping cause, death for any reason.
(c) Limitation on Federal facilities and employees — Subject to (b): for health care items or services provided (1) by or in a federally owned or operated health facility, or (2) by a physician or other person employed by the federal government* to provide health care as part of their job, no item or service may be given for the purpose of causing, or helping cause, someone's death, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing.
(d) List of programs to which restrictions apply — (1) Subsection (a) applies to money appropriated for these federal health-funding programs: (A) Medicare; (B) Medicaid; (C) the Title XX social services block grant; (D) the Title V maternal and child health block grant; (E) the Public Health Service Act; (F) the Indian Health Care Improvement Act; (G) the federal employees health benefits program (title 5, chapter 89); (H) the military health system, including Tricare and CHAMPUS (title 10, chapter 55); (I) veterans medical care (title 38, chapter 17); (J) health services for Peace Corps volunteers (title 22, section 2504(e)); and (K) medical services for federal prisoners (title 18, section 4005(a)). (2) Subsection (c) applies to the facilities and staff of: (A) the Defense Department's military health system; (B) the Veterans Health Administration; and (C) the Public Health Service. (3) This list doesn't limit (a) to only the programs named in (1), or (c) to only the facilities and staff named in (2) — other programs and facilities can still be covered.
Subject to subsection (b), no funds appropriated by Congress* for the purpose of paying (directly or indirectly) for the provision of health care services may be used—
to provide any health care item or service furnished for the purpose of causing, or for the purpose of assisting in causing, the death of any individual, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing;
to pay (directly, through payment of Federal financial participation or other matching payment, or otherwise) for such an item or service, including payment of expenses relating to such an item or service; or
to pay (in whole or in part) for health benefit coverage that includes any coverage of such an item or service or of any expenses relating to such an item or service.
Nothing in subsection (a), or in any other provision of this chapter (or in any amendment made by this chapter), shall be construed to apply to or to affect any limitation relating to—
the withholding or withdrawing of medical treatment or medical care;
the withholding or withdrawing of nutrition or hydration;
abortion; or
the use of an item, good, benefit, or service furnished for the purpose of alleviating pain or discomfort, even if such use may increase the risk of death, so long as such item, good, benefit, or service is not also furnished for the purpose of causing, or the purpose of assisting in causing, death, for any reason.
Subject to subsection (b), with respect to health care items and services furnished—
by or in a health care facility owned or operated by the Federal government*, or
by any physician or other individual employed by the Federal government to provide health care services within the scope of the physician’s or individual’s employment,
no such item or service may be furnished for the purpose of causing, or for the purpose of assisting in causing, the death of any individual, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing.
Subsection (a) applies to funds appropriated under or to carry out the following:
Title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.].
Title XIX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.].
Title XX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.].
Title V of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.].
The Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.].
The Indian Health Care Improvement Act [25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.].
Chapter 89 of title 5.
Chapter 55 of title 10.
Chapter 17 of title 38.
The provisions of subsection (c) apply to facilities and personnel of the following:
The Department of Defense operating under chapter 55 of title 10.
The Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Public Health Service.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting the application of subsection (a) to the programs specified in paragraph (1) or the application of subsection (c) to the facilities and personnel specified in paragraph (2).
Source credit: (Pub. L. 105–12, § 3, Apr. 30, 1997, 111 Stat. 23.)
- 1997Enacted · Pub. L. 105-12 · 111 Stat. 23
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 105-12 on 1997-04-30.
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