AB 2514, as introduced, Pan. California Physician Corps Program.
Existing law establishes the California Physician Corps Program within the Health Professions Education Foundation, which provides financial incentives, as specified, to a physician and surgeon for practicing in a medically underserved community.
This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create a taskforce to accomplish specified goals, including collaborating with the federal government to create a federal fund-matching program to assist with loan repayments for health care providers in medically underserved areas.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(1) The gap between California’s medical providers and patients
4has been widening for years. The number of medical schools and
5residency positions has not kept up with the growing and aging
6population of the state.
P2 1(2) Furthermore, there is a severe maldistribution of health care
2providers and services throughout the state. Most physicians
3practice in larger cities and suburbs while rural populations are
4underserved. The majority of California’s counties have been
5designated by the federal government as health manpower shortage
6areas.
7(3) The National Health Service Corps and the Steven M.
8Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program help repay
9student loans of providers who commit to practice for a period of
10time in health
manpower shortage areas. However, these modest
11funds are inadequate to attract enough providers and to offset their
12skyrocketing school debts.
13(b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to enact
14legislation that would create a taskforce to accomplish all of the
15following:
16(1) Encourage funding from private individuals, groups, and
17corporations to augment loan repayment programs for physicians.
18(2) Stimulate the formation of fund-matching programs from
19local groups and government entities for recruitment and retention
20of local health care providers.
21(3) Collaborate with the federal government to create a federal
22fund-matching program to assist with loan repayments for health
23care providers in medically underserved areas.
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