A 5299: Expands the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5299 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HOOKS -- 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 (c) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the 2 public health law, as amended by section 6 of part C of chapter 57 of 3 the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows: 4 (c) 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, up 18 to one million seven hundred five thousand dollars each state fiscal 19 year for the period April first, two thousand seventeen through March 20 thirty-first, two thousand twenty, up to one million seven hundred five 21 thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two 22 thousand twenty through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-three, 23 and up to one million seven hundred five thousand dollars each state 24 fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand twenty-three 25 through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six, shall be set aside EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07848-01-5 
 A. 5299 2 1 and reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools established 2 pursuant to subdivision two of this section and shall be available for 3 purposes of physician and dentist loan repayment in accordance with 4 subdivision ten of this section. Notwithstanding any contrary provision 5 of this section, sections one hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three 6 of the state finance law, or any other contrary provision of law, such 7 funding shall be allocated regionally with one-third of available funds 8 going to New York city and two-thirds of available funds going to the 9 rest of the state and shall be distributed in a manner to be determined 10 by the commissioner without a competitive bid or request for proposal 11 process as follows: 12 (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five 13 physicians who train in primary care or specialty tracks in teaching 14 general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 15 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner. 16 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 17 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to repay loans of physi- 18 cians or dentists who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 19 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, 20 including but not limited to physicians or dentists working in general 21 hospitals, or other health care facilities. 22 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 23 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed in accordance with subpara- 24 graphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph to physicians or dentists identi- 25 fied by general hospitals. 26 (iv) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 27 period April first, two thousand fifteen through March thirty-first, two 28 thousand sixteen, two million dollars shall be available for the 29 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 30 (v) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 31 period April first, two thousand sixteen through March thirty-first, two 32 thousand seventeen, two million dollars shall be available for the 33 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 34 (vi) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, and subject 35 to the extension of the Health Care Reform Act of 1996, sufficient funds 36 shall be available for the purposes described in subdivision ten of this 37 section in amounts necessary to fund the remaining year commitments for 38 awards made pursuant to subparagraphs (iv) and (v) of this paragraph. 39 § 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the public 40 health law, as amended by section 6 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws 41 of 2023, is amended to read as follows: 42 (d) Physician and dentist practice support. Four million nine hundred 43 thousand dollars for the period January first, two thousand eight 44 through December thirty-first, two thousand eight, four million nine 45 hundred thousand dollars annually for the period January first, two 46 thousand nine through December thirty-first, two thousand ten, one 47 million two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for the period January 48 first, two thousand eleven through March thirty-first, two thousand 49 eleven, four million three hundred thousand dollars each state fiscal 50 year for the period April first, two thousand eleven through March thir- 51 ty-first, two thousand fourteen, up to four million three hundred sixty 52 thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two 53 thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, up 54 to four million three hundred sixty thousand dollars for each state 55 fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand seventeen through 56 March thirty-first, two thousand twenty, up to four million three 
 A. 5299 3 1 hundred sixty thousand dollars for each fiscal year for the period April 2 first, two thousand twenty through March thirty-first, two thousand 3 twenty-three, and up to four million three hundred sixty thousand 4 dollars for each fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand 5 twenty-three through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six, shall 6 be set aside and reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools 7 established pursuant to subdivision two of this section and shall be 8 available for purposes of physician and dentist practice support. 9 Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this section, sections one 10 hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law, or 11 any other contrary provision of law, such funding shall be allocated 12 regionally with one-third of available funds going to New York city and 13 two-thirds of available funds going to the rest of the state and shall 14 be distributed in a manner to be determined by the commissioner without 15 a competitive bid or request for proposal process as follows: 16 (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching general 17 hospitals for up to twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by 18 physicians or dentists trained in primary or specialty tracks who there- 19 after establish or join practices in underserved communities, as deter- 20 mined by the commissioner. 21 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 22 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to physicians or 23 dentists to support the cost of establishing or joining practices in 24 underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, and to 25 hospitals and other health care providers to recruit new physicians or 26 dentists to provide services in underserved communities, as determined 27 by the commissioner. 28 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 29 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed to general hospitals in 30 accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph. 31 § 3. Subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the public health law, as 32 added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, para- 33 graphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of chapter 58 of 34 the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 35 10. Physician and dentist loan repayment program. (a) Beginning Janu- 36 ary first, two thousand eight, the commissioner is authorized, within 37 amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a of this section, to 38 make loan repayment awards to primary care physicians and dentists or 39 other physician and dentist specialties determined by the commissioner 40 to be in short supply, licensed to practice medicine or dentistry in New 41 York state, who agree to practice for at least five years in an under- 42 served area, as determined by the commissioner. Such physician or 43 dentist shall be eligible for a loan repayment award of up to one 44 hundred fifty thousand dollars over a five year period distributed as 45 follows: fifteen percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thou- 46 sand dollars for the first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt not 47 to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for the second year; twenty 48 percent of total loan debt not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars 49 for the third year; and twenty-five percent of total loan debt not to 50 exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per year for the fourth year; and 51 any unpaid balance of the total loan debt not to exceed the maximum 52 award amount for the fifth year of practice in such area. 53 (b) Loan repayment awards made to a physician or dentist pursuant to 54 paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall not exceed the total qualifying 55 outstanding debt of the physician or dentist from student loans to cover 56 tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaranteed by 
 A. 5299 4 1 the federal or state government, or made by a lending or educational 2 institution approved under title IV of the federal higher education act. 3 Loan repayment awards shall be used solely to repay such outstanding 4 debt. 5 (c) In the event that a five-year commitment pursuant to the agreement 6 referenced in paragraph (a) of this subdivision is not fulfilled, the 7 recipient shall be responsible for repayment in amounts which shall be 8 calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in subdivision (b) 9 of section two hundred fifty-four-o of title forty-two of the United 10 States Code, as amended. 11 (d) The commissioner is authorized to apply any funds available for 12 purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching funds 13 for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan 14 repayment programs pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight I of 15 the public health service act. 16 (e) The commissioner may postpone, change or waive the service obli- 17 gation and repayment amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (c), 18 respectively of this subdivision in individual circumstances where there 19 is compelling need or hardship. 20 (f)(i) When a physician or dentist is not actually practicing in an 21 underserved area, [he or she] such physician or dentist shall be deemed 22 to be practicing in an underserved area if [he or she practices] they 23 practice in a facility or physician's or dentist's office that primarily 24 serves an underserved population as determined by the commissioner, 25 without regard to whether the population or the facility or physician's 26 or dentist's office is located in an underserved area. 27 (ii) In making criteria and determinations as to whether an area is an 28 underserved area or whether a facility or physician's or dentist's 29 office primarily serves an underserved population, the commissioner may 30 make separate criteria and determinations for different specialties. 31 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.