Bill Text: NY S00954 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Expands the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-19 - RECOMMIT, ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN [S00954 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S00954-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           954
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. YOUNG, HELMING, KENNEDY, ORTT, RANZENHOFER, RITCHIE
          -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed 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 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
    24  of this section. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this section,
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04143-01-9

        S. 954                              2
     1  sections  one  hundred  twelve  and one hundred sixty-three of the state
     2  finance law, or any other contrary provision of law, such funding  shall
     3  be  allocated  regionally with one-third of available funds going to New
     4  York  city  and  two-thirds  of available funds going to the rest of the
     5  state and shall be distributed in a  manner  to  be  determined  by  the
     6  commissioner  without  a competitive bid or request for proposal process
     7  as follows:
     8    (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five
     9  physicians who train in primary care or  specialty  tracks  in  teaching
    10  general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care or specialty
    11  practices in underserved communities, as determined by the 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 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 or dentists working in general
    17  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 or dentists  identi-
    21  fied 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    § 2. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the  public
    36  health  law, as amended by section 6 of part H of chapter 57 of the laws
    37  of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
    38    (e) Physician and dentist practice support. Four million nine  hundred
    39  thousand  dollars  for  the  period  January  first,  two thousand eight
    40  through December thirty-first, two thousand  eight,  four  million  nine
    41  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, up to four million three hundred  sixty
    48  thousand  dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two
    49  thousand fourteen through March thirty-first,  two  thousand  seventeen,
    50  and  up  to  four  million three hundred sixty thousand dollars for each
    51  state fiscal year for the period April  first,  two  thousand  seventeen
    52  through  March thirty-first, two thousand twenty, shall be set aside and
    53  reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools established  pursu-
    54  ant  to  subdivision  two  of  this  section  and shall be available for
    55  purposes of physician and dentist practice support. Notwithstanding  any
    56  contrary  provision of this section, sections one hundred twelve and one

        S. 954                              3
     1  hundred sixty-three of the state finance  law,  or  any  other  contrary
     2  provision  of  law, such funding shall be allocated regionally with one-
     3  third of available funds going to New York city and two-thirds of avail-
     4  able  funds going to the rest of the state and shall be distributed in a
     5  manner to be determined by the commissioner without a competitive bid or
     6  request for proposal process as follows:
     7    (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching  general
     8  hospitals  for  up  to  twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by
     9  physicians or dentists trained in primary or specialty tracks who there-
    10  after establish or join practices in underserved communities, as  deter-
    11  mined by the commissioner.
    12    (ii)  After  distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this
    13  paragraph, all  remaining  funds  shall  be  awarded  to  physicians  or
    14  dentists  to  support  the  cost of establishing or joining practices in
    15  underserved communities, as  determined  by  the  commissioner,  and  to
    16  hospitals  and  other health care providers to recruit new physicians or
    17  dentists to provide services in underserved communities,  as  determined
    18  by the commissioner.
    19    (iii)  In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available
    20  pursuant to this  paragraph  be  distributed  to  general  hospitals  in
    21  accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph.
    22    §  3.  Subdivision  10 of section 2807-m of the public health law,  as
    23  added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, para-
    24  graphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of chapter  58  of
    25  the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
    26    10. Physician and dentist loan repayment program.  (a) Beginning Janu-
    27  ary  first,  two  thousand eight, the commissioner is authorized, within
    28  amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a  of  this  section,  to
    29  make  loan  repayment  awards to primary care physicians and dentists or
    30  other physician and dentist specialties determined by  the  commissioner
    31  to be in short supply, licensed to practice medicine or dentistry in New
    32  York  state,  who agree to practice for at least five years in an under-
    33  served area, as  determined  by  the  commissioner.  Such  physician  or
    34  dentist  shall  be  eligible  for  a  loan  repayment award of up to one
    35  hundred fifty thousand dollars over a five year  period  distributed  as
    36  follows:  fifteen  percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thou-
    37  sand dollars for the first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt  not
    38  to  exceed  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  the second year; twenty
    39  percent of total loan debt not to exceed  thirty-five  thousand  dollars
    40  for  the  third  year; and twenty-five percent of total loan debt not to
    41  exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per year for the  fourth  year;  and
    42  any  unpaid  balance  of  the  total loan debt not to exceed the maximum
    43  award amount for the fifth year of practice in such area.
    44    (b) Loan repayment awards made to a physician or dentist  pursuant  to
    45  paragraph  (a) of this subdivision shall not exceed the total qualifying
    46  outstanding debt of the physician or dentist from student loans to cover
    47  tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaranteed by
    48  the federal or state government, or made by  a  lending  or  educational
    49  institution approved under title IV of the federal higher education act.
    50  Loan  repayment  awards  shall  be used solely to repay such outstanding
    51  debt.
    52    (c) In the event that a five-year commitment pursuant to the agreement
    53  referenced in paragraph (a) of this subdivision is  not  fulfilled,  the
    54  recipient  shall  be responsible for repayment in amounts which shall be
    55  calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in  subdivision  (b)

        S. 954                              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.
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