NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5299
SPONSOR: Hooks TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to expanding the
Doctors Across New York program to include dentists
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation it to authorize the Commissioner of
Health to include dentists in the Doctors Across New York program,• to
provide education loan relief to dentists who participate in the
program, to expand dental services to underserved areas of the state.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends paragraph (c) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of
the public health law, as amended by section 6 of part Y of chapter 56
of the laws of 2020.
Section 2: Amends paragraph (d) of subdivision 5-a of section 2807-m of
the public health laws, as amended by section 6 of part Y of chapter 56
of the laws of 2020.
Section 3: Amends subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the public health
law, as added by section 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of
2008 and paragraphs (a) and (c) as amended by section 13 of part B of
chapter 58 of the laws of 2010.
Section 4: Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2010, the New York State Department of Health issued a report to the
legislature and governor finding that dentists should be included in the
Doctors Across New York program. The bill gives the commissioner of
health the discretionary authority to include dentists in the program,
as called for by the 2010 Department of Health study. Access to dental
care in underserved areas of the state is a serious public health prob-
lem and this legislation will help to address that issue. The Doctors
Across New York program has worked very well for physicians in terms of
increasing access to medical care in underserved areas and should work
equally well for dentists.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: Referred to Health in 2021 and Referred to Health in 2022.
2019 - 2020: Referred to Health in 2019 and Referred to Health in .
2020. 2017 - 2018: Referred to Health in 2017 and Referred to Health in
2018.
2015 - 2016: Referred to Health in 2015 and Referred to Health in 2016.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
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.
