Bill Text: NY A03747 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Expands the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to health [A03747 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-A03747-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 3747--A 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y January 27, 2015 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. WRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to expanding the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the 2 public health law, as amended by section 9 of part B of chapter 60 of 3 the laws of 2014, subparagraphs (iv), (v) and (vi) as added by section 4 4 of part W of chapter 57 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as 5 follows: 6 (d) Physician AND/OR DENTIST loan repayment program. One million nine 7 hundred sixty thousand dollars for the period January first, two thou- 8 sand eight through December thirty-first, two thousand eight, one 9 million nine hundred sixty thousand dollars for the period January 10 first, two thousand nine through December thirty-first, two thousand 11 nine, one million nine hundred sixty thousand dollars for the period 12 January first, two thousand ten through December thirty-first, two thou- 13 sand ten, four hundred ninety thousand dollars for the period January 14 first, two thousand eleven through March thirty-first, two thousand 15 eleven, one million seven hundred thousand dollars each state fiscal 16 year for the period April first, two thousand eleven through March thir- 17 ty-first, two thousand fourteen, and up to one million seven hundred 18 five thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, 19 two thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand seven- 20 teen, shall be set aside and reserved by the commissioner from the 21 regional pools established pursuant to subdivision two of this section 22 and shall be available for purposes of physician AND/OR DENTIST loan 23 repayment in accordance with subdivision ten of this section. Notwith- 24 standing any contrary provision of this section, sections one hundred EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05173-03-5 A. 3747--A 2 1 twelve and one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law, or any 2 other contrary provision of law, such funding shall be allocated 3 regionally with one-third of available funds going to New York city and 4 two-thirds of available funds going to the rest of the state and shall 5 be distributed in a manner to be determined by the commissioner without 6 a competitive bid or request for proposal process as follows: 7 (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five 8 physicians AND/OR DENTISTS who train in primary care or specialty tracks 9 in teaching general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care 10 or specialty practices in underserved communities, as determined by the 11 commissioner. 12 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 13 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to repay loans of physi- 14 cians AND/OR DENTISTS who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 15 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, 16 including but not limited to physicians AND/OR DENTISTS working in 17 general hospitals, or other health care facilities. 18 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 19 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed in accordance with subpara- 20 graphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph to physicians AND/OR DENTISTS 21 identified by general hospitals. 22 (iv) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 23 period April first, two thousand fifteen through March thirty-first, two 24 thousand sixteen, two million dollars shall be available for the 25 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 26 (v) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 27 period April first, two thousand sixteen through March thirty-first, two 28 thousand seventeen, two million dollars shall be available for the 29 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 30 (vi) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, and subject 31 to the extension of the Health Care Reform Act of 1996, sufficient funds 32 shall be available for the purposes described in subdivision ten of this 33 section in amounts necessary to fund the remaining year commitments for 34 awards made pursuant to subparagraphs (iv) and (v) of this paragraph. 35 S 2. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the public 36 health law, as amended by section 9 of part B of chapter 60 of the laws 37 of 2014, is amended to read as follows: 38 (e) Physician AND/OR DENTIST practice support. Four million nine 39 hundred thousand dollars for the period January first, two thousand 40 eight through December thirty-first, two thousand eight, four million 41 nine hundred thousand dollars annually for the period January first, two 42 thousand nine through December thirty-first, two thousand ten, one 43 million two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for the period January 44 first, two thousand eleven through March thirty-first, two thousand 45 eleven, four million three hundred thousand dollars each state fiscal 46 year for the period April first, two thousand eleven through March thir- 47 ty-first, two thousand fourteen, and up to four million three hundred 48 sixty thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April 49 first, two thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand 50 seventeen, shall be set aside and reserved by the commissioner from the 51 regional pools established pursuant to subdivision two of this section 52 and shall be available for purposes of physician AND/OR DENTIST practice 53 support. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this section, 54 sections one hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three of the state 55 finance law, or any other contrary provision of law, such funding shall 56 be allocated regionally with one-third of available funds going to New A. 3747--A 3 1 York city and two-thirds of available funds going to the rest of the 2 state and shall be distributed in a manner to be determined by the 3 commissioner without a competitive bid or request for proposal process 4 as follows: 5 (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching general 6 hospitals for up to twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by 7 physicians AND/OR DENTISTS trained in primary or specialty tracks who 8 thereafter establish or join practices in underserved communities, as 9 determined by the commissioner. 10 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 11 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to physicians AND/OR 12 DENTISTS to support the cost of establishing or joining practices in 13 underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, and to 14 hospitals and other health care providers to recruit new physicians 15 AND/OR DENTISTS to provide services in underserved communities, as 16 determined by the commissioner. 17 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 18 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed to general hospitals in 19 accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph. 20 S 3. Subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the public health law, as 21 added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, and 22 paragraphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of chapter 58 23 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 24 10. Physician AND/OR DENTIST loan repayment program. (a) Beginning 25 January first, two thousand eight, the commissioner is authorized, with- 26 in amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a of this section, to 27 make loan repayment awards to primary care physicians AND/OR DENTISTS or 28 other physician AND/OR DENTIST specialties determined by the commission- 29 er to be in short supply, licensed to practice medicine AND/OR DENTISTRY 30 in New York state, who agree to practice for at least five years in an 31 underserved area, as determined by the commissioner. Such physician 32 AND/OR DENTIST shall be eligible for a loan repayment award of up to one 33 hundred fifty thousand dollars over a five year period distributed as 34 follows: fifteen percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thou- 35 sand dollars for the first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt not 36 to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for the second year; twenty 37 percent of total loan debt not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars 38 for the third year; and twenty-five percent of total loan debt not to 39 exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per year for the fourth year; and 40 any unpaid balance of the total loan debt not to exceed the maximum 41 award amount for the fifth year of practice in such area. 42 (b) Loan repayment awards made to a physician AND/OR DENTIST pursuant 43 to paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall not exceed the total qualify- 44 ing outstanding debt of the physician AND/OR DENTIST from student loans 45 to cover tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or 46 guaranteed by the federal or state government, or made by a lending or 47 educational institution approved under title IV of the federal higher 48 education act. Loan repayment awards shall be used solely to repay such 49 outstanding debt. 50 (c) In the event that a five-year commitment pursuant to the agreement 51 referenced in paragraph (a) of this subdivision is not fulfilled, the 52 recipient shall be responsible for repayment in amounts which shall be 53 calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in subdivision (b) 54 of section two hundred fifty-four-o of title forty-two of the United 55 States Code, as amended. A. 3747--A 4 1 (d) The commissioner is authorized to apply any funds available for 2 purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching funds 3 for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan 4 repayment programs pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight I of 5 the public health service act. 6 (e) The commissioner may postpone, change or waive the service obli- 7 gation and repayment amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (c), 8 respectively of this subdivision in individual circumstances where there 9 is compelling need or hardship. 10 (f)(i) When a physician AND/OR DENTIST is not actually practicing in 11 an underserved area, he or she shall be deemed to be practicing in an 12 underserved area if he or she practices in a facility or physician's 13 AND/OR DENTIST'S office that primarily serves an underserved population 14 as determined by the commissioner, without regard to whether the popu- 15 lation or the facility or physician's AND/OR DENTIST'S office is located 16 in an underserved area. 17 (ii) In making criteria and determinations as to whether an area is an 18 underserved area or whether a facility or physician's AND/OR DENTIST'S 19 office primarily serves an underserved population, the commissioner may 20 make separate criteria and determinations for different specialties. 21 S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.