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