‘An Act To Encourage Veterinary Practice in Maine and Make Revisions to Related Medical Education Programs Administered by the Finance Authority of Maine’
| SP0116 LD 352 |
Second Regular Session - 124th Maine Legislature C "B", Filing Number S-368, Sponsored by
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LR 342 Item 4 |
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| Bill Tracking | Chamber Status | ||
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Encourage Veterinary Practice in Maine and Make Revisions to Related Medical Education Programs Administered by the Finance Authority of Maine’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §12102, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 830, §4 and c. 832, §10, is amended to read:
§ 12102. Comprehensive programs
The chief executive officer shall administer the comprehensive programs established in this chapter and chapter 424A to address the shortage of primary health care professionals and veterinarians in underserved areas of the State. With the assistance of the Advisory Committee on Medical Education, established by Title 5, section 12004I, subsection 7, the chief executive officer shall plan, evaluate and update the programs to ensure that Maine residents have access to medical education and veterinary education and that Maine residents have access to primary health care and to veterinary care for their animals.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §12103, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2009, c. 410, §2, is further amended to read:
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 830, §4 and c. 832, §10, is amended to read:
(1) Who have previously received a loan pursuant to this section and who exhibit financial need as determined by the authority; or
(2) Who are participants in the access to medical education program Access to Medical Education Program established in this chapter. section 12103; or
(3) Who are participants in the Maine Veterinary Medicine Loan Program established in chapter 424A.
Loans under this section are available only to eligible students on or after January 1, 1993.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 830, §4 and c. 832, §10, is repealed.
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§2-A, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 410, §4, is amended to read:
Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 830, §4 and c. 832, §10, is repealed.
Sec. 7. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1995, c. 117, Pt. D, §2 and affected by §3 and amended by PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read:
(1) A loan recipient who does not obtain loan forgiveness pursuant to this section shall repay the entire principal portion of the loan plus simple interest at a rate to be determined by rule of the authority. Interest does not begin to accrue until the loan recipient completes medical education, including residency and internship. The authority may establish differing interest rates to encourage loan recipients to practice primary health care medicine in the State.
(2) Primary health care physicians and dentists practicing in a designated health professional shortage area, any physician practicing in an underserved specialty or any physician providing services to a designated underserved group are forgiven the larger of 25% of the original outstanding indebtedness plus any accrued interest or $7,500 for each year of practice.
Primary health care physicians and dentists practicing in the State, but not practicing in a designated health professional shortage area, are forgiven the larger of 12.5% of the original outstanding indebtedness plus any accrued interest or $3,750 for each year of practice.
(3) Veterinarians providing services to Maine residents with insufficient veterinary services are forgiven the larger of 25% of the original outstanding indebtedness plus any accrued interest or $7,500 for each year of practice.
(4) Any student completing an entire residency at any primary health care residency program in the State is forgiven 50% of the original outstanding indebtedness for each year of practice in a designated health professional shortage area, as a physician practicing in an underserved specialty or as a physician providing services to an underserved group or 25% of the original outstanding indebtedness for each year of primary health care practice in the State.
(1) The number of Medicaid patients served by the loan recipient and the percentage of the loan recipient's overall service provided to Medicaid patients;
(2) The number of instances in which a loan recipient accepted a Medicare assignment and the number of and basis for any rejections during the period of the report; and
(3) The amount of time devoted by the loan recipient to practice in a public health clinic during the period of the report.
The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Rural Health and the Finance Authority of Maine shall determine whether the level of service provided by the loan recipient to Medicaid and Medicare patients and in public health clinics was reasonable. If the Office of Rural Health and the Finance Authority of Maine determine office of rural health and primary care determines that the level of service provided was not reasonable or if the loan recipient fails to provide the report by the date required, the loan recipient is not entitled to any loan forgiveness or interest rate reduction benefit under this section for the year of the report.
Sec. 8. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§5-A is enacted to read:
(1) The number of Medicaid patients served by the loan recipient and the percentage of the loan recipient's overall service provided to Medicaid patients;
(2) The number of instances in which a loan recipient accepted a Medicare assignment and the number of and basis for any rejections during the period of the report; and
(3) The amount of time devoted by the loan recipient to practice in a public health clinic during the period of the report.
If the Department of Health and Human Services, office of rural health and primary care determines that the level of service provided was not reasonable or if the loan recipient fails to provide the report by the date required, the loan recipient is not entitled to any interest rate benefit under this section for the year of the report.
Sec. 9. 20-A MRSA §12104, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 830, §4 and c. 832, §10, is amended to read:
Sec. 10. 20-A MRSA §12105, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2009, c. 410, §5, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
Beginning July 1, 2009, the authority shall use any unexpended balance of funds previously designated for the purchase of positions of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under section 12103 to fund scholarships awarded under section 12103A. Any unexpended balance in the fund after the unused portion is redesignated to support the scholarships described in section 12103A carries over for use under section 12104.
The authority may receive, invest and expend, on behalf of the fund, money from gifts, grants, bequests and donations, or other sources in addition to money appropriated or allocated by the State. Loan repayments under this chapter or chapter 424A or other repayments to the authority under section 12103 or 12104 must be invested by the authority, as provided by law, with the earned income to be added to the fund. Money received by the authority on behalf of the fund, except interest income, must be used for such purposes; interest income may be used for such purposes or to pay student financial assistance administrative costs incurred by the authority.
Sec. 11. 20-A MRSA §12105, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2009, c. 410, §6, is further amended to read:
Sec. 12. 20-A MRSA §12105, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 410, §7, is further amended to read:
Sec. 13. 20-A MRSA §12106, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2001, c. 417, §§21 to 24 and PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §7, is further amended to read:
(1) One must be a representative of a major statewide agency representing allopathic physicians;
(2) One must be a representative of a major statewide agency representing osteopathic physicians;
(3) One must be a representative of a major statewide agency representing family physicians;
(4) One must be a member of the major statewide agency representing hospitals;
(5) One must be a representative of the major statewide agency representing community health centers;
(7) One must be a representative of an association of commercial health insurance companies doing business in the State;
(8) One must be a representative of a statewide area health education center program; and
(9) Two must be at-large members;
(1) A chief executive of a family practice residency in the State;
(2) A representative of an institution of allopathic medical education at which the authority secures positions for students;
(3) A representative of an institution of osteopathic medical education at which the authority secures positions for students;
(4) A Maine student, resident or practicing physician who has obtained a position secured by the authority at an institution of allopathic medical education under section 12103 or who has obtained a scholarship under section 12103A;
(5) A Maine student, resident or practicing physician who has obtained a position secured by the authority at an institution of osteopathic medical education under section 12103 or who has obtained a scholarship under section 12103A; and
(6) A representative of a major teaching hospital in the State each qualifying Maine-based medical school program with students receiving scholarships under section 12103-A.
Sec. 14. 20-A MRSA c. 424-A is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 424-A
MAINE VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAN PROGRAM
§ 12121. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
§ 12122. Maine Veterinary Medicine Loan Program
(1) A loan recipient who does not obtain loan forgiveness pursuant to subparagraph (2) shall repay the entire principal of the loan plus simple interest at a rate to be determined by rule of the authority. Interest does not begin to accrue until the loan recipient completes veterinary medical education.
(2) A loan recipient who, upon conclusion of the loan recipient's professional education, including any fellowships, elects to serve as a veterinarian in an area of the State with insufficient veterinary services is forgiven 25% of the original outstanding indebtedness for each year of that practice. A loan recipient who practices in an area of the State with insufficient veterinary services less than full time may receive prorated loan forgiveness. A loan recipient who devotes less than 50% of the recipient's practice to the care of livestock may receive prorated loan forgiveness.
(3) A loan recipient must make a commitment to undertake specific training, including clinical experiences in livestock medicine.
§ 12123. Selection committee for students of veterinary medicine
The chief executive officer shall annually convene a selection committee of not fewer than 3 members to advise the authority in developing application materials designed to identify students likely to practice livestock veterinary medicine in the State and to make recommendations to the authority regarding the priority of applicants for loans to students of veterinary medicine. The selection committee must include the state veterinarian and a representative of a statewide association of veterinarians.
§ 12124. Rules
The authority shall establish rules necessary to implement this chapter. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall adopt rules to establish criteria for determining areas of insufficient veterinary services for livestock, a definition of livestock and a method for determining the percent of a practice that is devoted to livestock. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2A.’
SUMMARY
This amendment incorporates changes to the Health Professions Loan Program and the Access to Medical Education Program and makes revisions to the proposed veterinary medicine loan program. The changes to the Health Professions Loan Program convert it from a program that provided forgivable loans for medical, veterinary and dental education and loans for optometry education to a program that provides loans for medical, veterinary and dental education to be repaid at varying interest rates depending upon the nature and location of the practice. The amendment eliminates loans for optometry students. The amendment conforms certain effective dates to legislation enacted in 2009 creating the Doctors for Maine's Future Scholarship Program. The amendment eliminates new access seats for veterinary education beginning in 2011 in anticipation of the creation of the Maine Veterinary Medicine Loan Program. The amendment makes changes to the Advisory Committee on Medical Education to reflect the changing nature of the programs.