# 119-s-699: Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2025

119-s-699, Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-699
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-699
- Congress: 119
- Title: Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-01

## Summary

**This bill would make patients not liable for charges for purchased/referred care and shift payment responsibility toward the Indian Health Service (IHS).** It would also require quick government notice to providers and patients and set a deadline for reimbursing patients who already paid out of pocket. - Patients and families: Patients would not be responsible for paying providers, debt collectors, or other persons for purchased/referred care. If a patient already paid, they could submit documentation and be reimbursed within 30 days. - Providers and debt collectors: The Secretary would have to notify both the purchased/referred care provider and the patient within 5 business days after receiving a claim that the patient is not liable. The bill adds explicit language addressing debt collectors and other persons in provider communications. - Tribes and IHS operations: The Secretary would consult tribes and implement reimbursement procedures within 120 days and update the Indian Health Manual within 180 days. The changes would apply to care furnished on, before, or after enactment.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- No patient bills for Indian Health Service: benefit, high. If you received care the Indian Health Service authorized, you would not be responsible for paying those bills. That protection would apply to purchased/referred care furnished on, before, or after the date of enactment. If a provider files a claim, the Service would have to tell the provider and t…
- Indian Health Service manual updates: benefit, low. The bill would require the Secretary to update the Indian Health Manual, provider contracts, and guidance. The Secretary must consult tribes and replace the term "contract health service" with "purchased/referred care." Updates would have to be completed not later than 180 days after enactment.

## Related bills

- 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-699 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/699)

## Related
- [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-699 (as of 2026-11-01).