S 5091: Expands the Doctors Across New York program to include dentists.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5091 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 18, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SEPULVEDA, GALLIVAN, GOUNARDES, HARCKHAM, MARTINS, MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be commit- ted 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 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07848-01-5 
 S. 5091 2 1 through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six, shall be set aside 2 and reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools established 3 pursuant to subdivision two of this section and shall be available for 4 purposes of physician and dentist loan repayment in accordance with 5 subdivision ten of this section. Notwithstanding any contrary provision 6 of this section, sections one hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three 7 of the state finance law, or any other contrary provision of law, such 8 funding shall be allocated regionally with one-third of available funds 9 going to New York city and two-thirds of available funds going to the 10 rest of the state and shall be distributed in a manner to be determined 11 by the commissioner without a competitive bid or request for proposal 12 process as follows: 13 (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five 14 physicians who train in primary care or specialty tracks in teaching 15 general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 16 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner. 17 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 18 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to repay loans of physi- 19 cians or dentists who enter and remain in primary care or specialty 20 practices in underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, 21 including but not limited to physicians or dentists working in general 22 hospitals, or other health care facilities. 23 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 24 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed in accordance with subpara- 25 graphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph to physicians or dentists identi- 26 fied by general hospitals. 27 (iv) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 28 period April first, two thousand fifteen through March thirty-first, two 29 thousand sixteen, two million dollars shall be available for the 30 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 31 (v) In addition to the funds allocated under this paragraph, for the 32 period April first, two thousand sixteen through March thirty-first, two 33 thousand seventeen, two million dollars shall be available for the 34 purposes described in subdivision ten of this section; 35 (vi) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, and subject 36 to the extension of the Health Care Reform Act of 1996, sufficient funds 37 shall be available for the purposes described in subdivision ten of this 38 section in amounts necessary to fund the remaining year commitments for 39 awards made pursuant to subparagraphs (iv) and (v) of this paragraph. 40 § 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of the public 41 health law, as amended by section 6 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws 42 of 2023, is amended to read as follows: 43 (d) Physician and dentist practice support. Four million nine hundred 44 thousand dollars for the period January first, two thousand eight 45 through December thirty-first, two thousand eight, four million nine 46 hundred thousand dollars annually for the period January first, two 47 thousand nine through December thirty-first, two thousand ten, one 48 million two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for the period January 49 first, two thousand eleven through March thirty-first, two thousand 50 eleven, four million three hundred thousand dollars each state fiscal 51 year for the period April first, two thousand eleven through March thir- 52 ty-first, two thousand fourteen, up to four million three hundred sixty 53 thousand dollars each state fiscal year for the period April first, two 54 thousand fourteen through March thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, up 55 to four million three hundred sixty thousand dollars for each state 56 fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand seventeen through 
 S. 5091 3 1 March thirty-first, two thousand twenty, up to four million three 2 hundred sixty thousand dollars for each fiscal year for the period April 3 first, two thousand twenty through March thirty-first, two thousand 4 twenty-three, and up to four million three hundred sixty thousand 5 dollars for each fiscal year for the period April first, two thousand 6 twenty-three through March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six, shall 7 be set aside and reserved by the commissioner from the regional pools 8 established pursuant to subdivision two of this section and shall be 9 available for purposes of physician and dentist practice support. 10 Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this section, sections one 11 hundred twelve and one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law, or 12 any other contrary provision of law, such funding shall be allocated 13 regionally with one-third of available funds going to New York city and 14 two-thirds of available funds going to the rest of the state and shall 15 be distributed in a manner to be determined by the commissioner without 16 a competitive bid or request for proposal process as follows: 17 (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching general 18 hospitals for up to twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by 19 physicians or dentists trained in primary or specialty tracks who there- 20 after establish or join practices in underserved communities, as deter- 21 mined by the commissioner. 22 (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this 23 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to physicians or 24 dentists to support the cost of establishing or joining practices in 25 underserved communities, as determined by the commissioner, and to 26 hospitals and other health care providers to recruit new physicians or 27 dentists to provide services in underserved communities, as determined 28 by the commissioner. 29 (iii) In no case shall less than fifty percent of the funds available 30 pursuant to this paragraph be distributed to general hospitals in 31 accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph. 32 § 3. Subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the public health law, as 33 added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, para- 34 graphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of chapter 58 of 35 the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 36 10. Physician and dentist loan repayment program. (a) Beginning Janu- 37 ary first, two thousand eight, the commissioner is authorized, within 38 amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a of this section, to 39 make loan repayment awards to primary care physicians and dentists or 40 other physician and dentist specialties determined by the commissioner 41 to be in short supply, licensed to practice medicine or dentistry in New 42 York state, who agree to practice for at least five years in an under- 43 served area, as determined by the commissioner. Such physician or 44 dentist shall be eligible for a loan repayment award of up to one 45 hundred fifty thousand dollars over a five year period distributed as 46 follows: fifteen percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thou- 47 sand dollars for the first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt not 48 to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for the second year; twenty 49 percent of total loan debt not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars 50 for the third year; and twenty-five percent of total loan debt not to 51 exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per year for the fourth year; and 52 any unpaid balance of the total loan debt not to exceed the maximum 53 award amount for the fifth year of practice in such area. 54 (b) Loan repayment awards made to a physician or dentist pursuant to 55 paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall not exceed the total qualifying 56 outstanding debt of the physician or dentist from student loans to cover 
 S. 5091 4 1 tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaranteed by 2 the federal or state government, or made by a lending or educational 3 institution approved under title IV of the federal higher education act. 4 Loan repayment awards shall be used solely to repay such outstanding 5 debt. 6 (c) In the event that a five-year commitment pursuant to the agreement 7 referenced in paragraph (a) of this subdivision is not fulfilled, the 8 recipient shall be responsible for repayment in amounts which shall be 9 calculated in accordance with the formula set forth in subdivision (b) 10 of section two hundred fifty-four-o of title forty-two of the United 11 States Code, as amended. 12 (d) The commissioner is authorized to apply any funds available for 13 purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching funds 14 for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan 15 repayment programs pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight I of 16 the public health service act. 17 (e) The commissioner may postpone, change or waive the service obli- 18 gation and repayment amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (c), 19 respectively of this subdivision in individual circumstances where there 20 is compelling need or hardship. 21 (f)(i) When a physician or dentist is not actually practicing in an 22 underserved area, [he or she] such physician or dentist shall be deemed 23 to be practicing in an underserved area if [he or she practices] they 24 practice in a facility or physician's or dentist's office that primarily 25 serves an underserved population as determined by the commissioner, 26 without regard to whether the population or the facility or physician's 27 or dentist's office is located in an underserved area. 28 (ii) In making criteria and determinations as to whether an area is an 29 underserved area or whether a facility or physician's or dentist's 30 office primarily serves an underserved population, the commissioner may 31 make separate criteria and determinations for different specialties. 32 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.