Bill Text: NY A05279 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Expands the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-26 - print number 5279a [A05279 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A05279-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5279--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 7, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. AUBRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health -- recommitted to the Committee on Health in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- 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 6 of part H of chapter 57 of 3 the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows: 4 (d) Physician and 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, up to one million seven hundred five 16 thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two 17 thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, 18 and up to one million seven hundred five thousand dollars each state 19 fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand seventeen through 20 March thirty-first, two thousand twenty, shall be set aside and reserved 21 by the commissioner from the regional pools established pursuant to 22 subdivision two of this section and shall be available for purposes of 23 physician and dentist loan repayment in accordance with subdivision ten EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08763-02-8A. 5279--A 2 1 of this section. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this section, 2 sections one hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three of the state 3 finance law, or any other contrary provision of law, such funding shall 4 be allocated regionally with one-third of available funds going to New 5 York city and two-thirds of available funds going to the rest of the 6 state and shall be distributed in a manner to be determined by the 7 commissioner without a competitive bid or request for proposal process 8 as follows: 9 (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five 10 physicians who train in primary care or specialty tracks in teaching 11 general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 12 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner. 13 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 14 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to repay loans of physi- 15 cians or dentists who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 16 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, 17 including but not limited to physicians or dentists working in general 18 hospitals, or other health care facilities. 19 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 20 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed in accordance with subpara- 21 graphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph to physicians or dentists identi- 22 fied by general hospitals. 23 (iv) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 24 period April first, two thousand fifteen through March thirty-first, two 25 thousand sixteen, two million dollars shall be available for the 26 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 27 (v) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 28 period April first, two thousand sixteen through March thirty-first, two 29 thousand seventeen, two million dollars shall be available for the 30 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 31 (vi) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, and subject 32 to the extension of the Health Care Reform Act of 1996, sufficient funds 33 shall be available for the purposes described in subdivision ten of this 34 section in amounts necessary to fund the remaining year commitments for 35 awards made pursuant to subparagraphs (iv) and (v) of this paragraph. 36 § 2. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the public 37 health law, as amended by section 6 of part H of chapter 57 of the laws 38 of 2017, is amended to read as follows: 39 (e) Physician and dentist practice support. Four million nine hundred 40 thousand dollars for the period January first, two thousand eight 41 through December thirty-first, two thousand eight, four million nine 42 hundred thousand dollars annually for the period January first, two 43 thousand nine through December thirty-first, two thousand ten, one 44 million two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for the period January 45 first, two thousand eleven through March thirty-first, two thousand 46 eleven, four million three hundred thousand dollars each state fiscal 47 year for the period April first, two thousand eleven through March thir- 48 ty-first, two thousand fourteen, up to four million three hundred sixty 49 thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two 50 thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, 51 and up to four million three hundred sixty thousand dollars for each 52 state fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand seventeen 53 through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty, shall be set aside and 54 reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools established pursu- 55 ant to subdivision two of this section and shall be available for 56 purposes of physician and dentist practice support. Notwithstanding anyA. 5279--A 3 1 contrary provision of this section, sections one hundred twelve and one 2 hundred sixty-three of the state finance law, or any other contrary 3 provision of law, such funding shall be allocated regionally with one- 4 third of available funds going to New York city and two-thirds of avail- 5 able funds going to the rest of the state and shall be distributed in a 6 manner to be determined by the commissioner without a competitive bid or 7 request for proposal process as follows: 8 (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching general 9 hospitals for up to twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by 10 physicians or dentists trained in primary or specialty tracks who there- 11 after establish or join practices in underserved communities, as deter- 12 mined by the commissioner. 13 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 14 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to physicians or 15 dentists to support the cost of establishing or joining practices in 16 underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, and to 17 hospitals and other health care providers to recruit new physicians or 18 dentists to provide services in underserved communities, as determined 19 by the commissioner. 20 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 21 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed to general hospitals in 22 accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph. 23 § 3. Subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the public health law, as 24 added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, para- 25 graphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of chapter 58 of 26 the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 27 10. Physician and dentist loan repayment program. (a) Beginning Janu- 28 ary first, two thousand eight, the commissioner is authorized, within 29 amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a of this section, to 30 make loan repayment awards to primary care physicians and dentists or 31 other physician and dentist specialties determined by the commissioner 32 to be in short supply, licensed to practice medicine or dentistry in New 33 York state, who agree to practice for at least five years in an under- 34 served area, as determined by the commissioner. Such physician or 35 dentist shall be eligible for a loan repayment award of up to one 36 hundred fifty thousand dollars over a five year period distributed as 37 follows: fifteen percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thou- 38 sand dollars for the first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt not 39 to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for the second year; twenty 40 percent of total loan debt not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars 41 for the third year; and twenty-five percent of total loan debt not to 42 exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per year for the fourth year; and 43 any unpaid balance of the total loan debt not to exceed the maximum 44 award amount for the fifth year of practice in such area. 45 (b) Loan repayment awards made to a physician or dentist pursuant to 46 paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall not exceed the total qualifying 47 outstanding debt of the physician or dentist from student loans to cover 48 tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaranteed by 49 the federal or state government, or made by a lending or educational 50 institution approved under title IV of the federal higher education act. 51 Loan repayment awards shall be used solely to repay such outstanding 52 debt. 53 (c) In the event that a five-year commitment pursuant to the agreement 54 referenced in paragraph (a) of this subdivision is not fulfilled, the 55 recipient shall be responsible for repayment in amounts which shall be 56 calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in subdivision (b)A. 5279--A 4 1 of section two hundred fifty-four-o of title forty-two of the United 2 States Code, as amended. 3 (d) The commissioner is authorized to apply any funds available for 4 purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching funds 5 for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan 6 repayment programs pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight I of 7 the public health service act. 8 (e) The commissioner may postpone, change or waive the service obli- 9 gation and repayment amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (c), 10 respectively of this subdivision in individual circumstances where there 11 is compelling need or hardship. 12 (f)(i) When a physician or dentist is not actually practicing in an 13 underserved area, he or she shall be deemed to be practicing in an 14 underserved area if he or she practices in a facility or physician's or 15 dentist's office that primarily serves an underserved population as 16 determined by the commissioner, without regard to whether the population 17 or the facility or physician's or dentist's office is located in an 18 underserved area. 19 (ii) In making criteria and determinations as to whether an area is an 20 underserved area or whether a facility or physician's or dentist's 21 office primarily serves an underserved population, the commissioner may 22 make separate criteria and determinations for different specialties. 23 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
