text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Restoring the Partnership for County 
  Health Care Costs Act of 2015''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) The United States Supreme Court has interpreted the 8th 
          Amendment to require governmental entities to provide medical 
          care to persons involuntarily confined in jails, detention 
          centers, and prisons.
              (2) The Federal Government does not provide health benefits 
          under Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 
          or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to inmates 
          even if the person is awaiting trial in jail and has not been 
          convicted. However, beneficiaries who are released after 
          posting bond, or who are released under their own recognizance, 
          or who are released under house arrest may continue to receive 
          Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, and CHIP benefits.
              (3) The cost of providing health care in prisons and jails 
          has increased exponentially due in part to high incarceration 
          rates, infectious diseases, chronic conditions, substance abuse 
          treatment, mental illness, aging prison populations, rising 
          prescription drug costs, and mandatory sentencing laws.
              (4) Providing health care for inmates constitutes a major 
          portion of local jail operating costs. Requiring county 
          governments to cover health care costs for inmates who have not 
          been convicted places an unnecessary burden on local 
          governments who have been negatively impacted by recession, 
          widespread budget deficits, and cuts to safety net programs and 
          services.
              (5) Jails generally have a higher instance of mentally ill 
          inmates because jails frequently serve as holding places for 
          low-income persons who are waiting placement in a mental 
          facility and for mentally ill persons who commit nuisance 
          crimes because of inadequate access to treatment in their 
          communities.
              (6) The rising cost of bail has also contributed to an 
          overall increase in the jail population and health care costs 
          for inmates. The high cost of bail has contributed to the 
          disproportionate rate of incarceration among African-Americans 
          and Latinos.
              (7) Terminating benefits to people in county jails who are 
          awaiting trial violates the presumption of innocence, because 
          it does not distinguish between persons awaiting disposition of 
          charges and those who have been duly convicted and sentenced.
              (8) Otherwise eligible individuals who have been charged 
          with a crime and incarcerated, but not convicted, should 
          continue to be eligible for Federal health benefits, such as 
          Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, or CHIP, until such time as they may 
          be convicted and sentenced to an institution. SSI payments 
          should be held until the inmate has been acquitted and 
          released, or until the inmate has completed his or her sentence 
          and been released.
  
  SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF INMATE LIMITATION ON BENEFITS UNDER MEDICAID, 
                MEDICARE, SSI, AND CHIP.
  
      (a) Medicaid.--The subdivision (A) of section 1905(a) of the Social 
  Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(a)) that follows paragraph (29) is 
  amended by inserting ``or in custody pending disposition of charges'' 
  after ``patient in a medical institution''.
      (b) Medicare.--Section 1862(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 
  U.S.C. 1395y(a)(3)) is amended by inserting ``in the case of services 
  furnished to individuals who are in custody pending disposition of 
  charges,'' after ``1880(e)''.
      (c) SSI.--Section 1611(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
  1382(e)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
  subparagraph:
      ``(K)(i) As used in subparagraph (A), the term `inmate of a public 
  institution' does not include an individual who is in custody pending 
  disposition of charges.
      ``(ii) In the case of an individual who is an eligible individual 
  or eligible spouse for purposes of this title only because of the 
  application of the definition in clause (i), any supplemental security 
  income benefits otherwise payable shall be withheld until such time as 
  the individual is no longer either in custody pending disposition of 
  charges or an inmate of a public institution or shall be paid to the 
  individual's estate if the individual dies before the pending charges 
  are disposed of or while the individual is an inmate of a public 
  institution.''.
      (d) CHIP.--Section 2110(b)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 
  U.S.C. 1397jj(b)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ``(except as an 
  individual in custody pending disposition of charges)'' after ``inmate 
  of a public institution''.
      (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
  effect on the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning more 
  than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 
  apply to items and services furnished, and supplemental security income 
  benefits paid, for periods beginning on or after such date.
target: Restoring the Partnership for County Health Care Costs Act of 2015 This bill amends titles XVI (Supplemental Security Income), XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) to allow an otherwise eligible individual who&nbsp;is in custody pending charges to receive SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP benefits. Any SSI benefits payable to such an individual: (1)&nbsp;must be withheld until the individual is no longer in custody;&nbsp;and (2) if the individual dies while in custody, shall be paid to the individual's estate.&nbsp;
feat_title: Restoring the Partnership for County Health Care Costs Act of 2015