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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 26, 2015 08:56 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative William C. Kortz, II |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Co-Sponsorship of Legislation to establish the Physician Retention Loan Forgiveness Act (Former House Bill 537) |
| In the near future, I intend to re-introduce House Bill 537 of the 2013-2014 Legislative Session to establish the Physician Retention Loan Forgiveness Program in the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the average physician graduates with $170,000 in student debt. In addition to costly student loans, physicians practicing in Pennsylvania are subject to extremely high medical liability insurance rates; therefore, physicians are choosing to practice outside of our Commonwealth. Considering the need for primary health care and large amounts of physicians retiring in the next decade, it is imperative that we provide incentives to keep our physicians in Pennsylvania. My legislation aims to improve access to health care by assisting the Commonwealth with recruitment and retention of physicians by establishing the Physician Retention Loan Forgiveness Program under PHEAA. Under this program, a full time practicing physician, specializing in internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, could be reimbursed 100% of the total loan for physician training at a rate of 10% per year for each year they practice in the Commonwealth if they agree to practice ten years. Part time practicing physicians are also eligible to receive reimbursement based upon a repayment assistance schedule. Similar legislation, House Bill 1093, Printer’s Number 2014, was passed by the House of Representatives during the 2007-2008 Legislative Session by a 191-9 vote. Please join me again in supporting this necessary legislation. Former HB 537 Co-Sponsors: Bishop, Sturla, D. Costa, O’Brien, Longietti, Barrar, Fabrizio, V. Brown, Boback, Cutler, Readshaw, Thomas, Gibbons, Caltagirone, DeLuca, McCarter, Brooks, Molchany, Freeman, Kirkland and Cohen. |
Introduced as HB1816