Bill Text: OH SB151 | 2013-2014 | 130th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: To require the Director of Health to establish the Ohio Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-06-25 - To Medicaid, Health & Human Services [SB151 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2013-SB151-Introduced.html

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As Introduced

130th General Assembly Regular Session 2013-2014

S. B. No. 151

Senator Tavares 

Cosponsors: Senators Kearney, Turner, Jones 

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A BILL

To enact sections 4783.01 to 4783.09 of the Revised

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Code to require the Director of Health to

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establish the Ohio Health Care Professional Loan

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Repayment Program.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1.  That sections 4783.01, 4783.02, 4783.03, 4783.04,	5
4783.05, 4783.06, 4783.07, 4783.08, and 4783.09 of the Revised	6
Code be enacted to read as follows:	7

Sec. 4783.01.  The director of health shall establish and	8
administer the Ohio health care professional loan repayment	9
program, which shall be modeled on the national health services	10
corps loan repayment program. To the extent funds are available,	11
the program shall provide grants to health care professionals to	12
assist in repayment of qualifying educational loans.	13

The program shall be in addition to and administered	14
separately from the physician loan repayment program established	15
under sections 3702.71 to 3702.81 of the Revised Code and the	16
dentist loan repayment program established under sections 3702.85	17
to 3702.95 of the Revised Code.	18

Sec. 4783.02.  As used in sections 4783.01 to 4783.09 of the	19
Revised Code:	20

(A) "Primary care specialty" means all of the following:

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(1) In the case of a physician or physician assistant, family	22
practice, obstetrics and gynecology, general internal medicine,	23
geriatrics, pediatrics, and psychiatry;	24

(2) In the case of a certified nurse practitioner, adult	25
practice, family practice, pediatrics, psychiatric-mental health,	26
geriatrics, and women's health;	27

(3) In the case of a dentist, general dentistry and pediatric	28
dentistry.	29

(B) "Qualifying educational loans" means outstanding	30
government or commercial loans for undergraduate or graduate	31
education that are obtained and used solely for tuition and other	32
reasonable educational expenses and for reasonable living	33
expenses.	34

Sec. 4783.03.  The director of health may solicit and accept	35
gifts and grants to be used for the Ohio health care professional	36
loan repayment program. Any gifts or grants, application fees,	37
amounts received due to failure to complete service obligations,	38
and amounts appropriated by the general assembly shall be	39
deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the health care	40
professional loan repayment program fund, which is hereby created.	41

Sec. 4783.04.  The director of health shall adopt such rules	42
as the director considers appropriate for the administration of	43
the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program.	44

The rules shall establish grants to be made to participants,	45
service obligations required of participants, and monetary	46
penalties for failure to complete service obligations. The rules	47
may provide for varying grant amounts based on the length of	48
service obligations and whether the service is to be full time or	49
part time.	50

The rules shall specify the information and supporting	51
documentation that must be provided by applicants for	52
participation in the program and may establish application fees.	53

All rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of	54
the Revised Code.	55

Sec. 4783.05.  The director of health may designate as a	56
health service site for the purposes of the Ohio health care	57
professional loan repayment program any health care facility that	58
provides outpatient primary health services to persons residing in	59
urban or rural health shortage areas designated under section	60
3702.76 of the Revised Code.	61

Sec. 4783.06.  The director of health shall accept and	62
consider an application for the Ohio health care professional loan	63
repayment program from any of the following health care	64
professionals who are authorized to practice in this state:	65

(A) A physician who practices a primary care specialty and	66
has one of the following qualifications:	67

(1) Certification in a primary care specialty from a	68
specialty board approved by the American board of medical	69
specialties or the American osteopathic association;	70

(2) Has completed, or will complete prior to commencing	71
service, a residency program approved by the accreditation council	72
for graduate medical education or the American osteopathic	73
association in a primary care specialty.	74

(B) A physician assistant who practices under the supervision	75
of a physician who practices a primary care specialty;	76

(C) A certified nurse practitioner who practices a primary	77
care specialty;	78

(D) A certified nurse-midwife;

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(E) A clinical nurse specialist who specializes in	80
psychiatric or mental health services;	81

(F) A dentist who practices a primary care specialty;

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(G) A dental hygienist;

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(H) An independent marriage and family therapist;

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(I) A professional clinical counselor;

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(J) A licensed independent social worker;

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(K) A psychologist who has passed the examination for	87
professional practice of psychology.	88

Sec. 4783.07.  To be eligible to participate in the Ohio	89
health care professional loan repayment program, a health care	90
professional must meet all of the following requirements:	91

(A) Be a citizen or national of the United States by birth or	92
naturalization;	93

(B) Participate or be eligible to participate as a provider	94
in one or more of the following: medicare, medicaid, and the	95
children's health insurance program;	96

(C) Have accepted a position at a health service site	97
designated by the director of health under section 4783.05 of the	98
Revised Code;	99

(D) Not have any outstanding service obligation for a health	100
professional or other service to the federal government or another	101
entity that will not be completed before participation in the	102
program begins;	103

(E) Not be in breach of a health professional service	104
obligation to the federal government or a state or local	105
government;	106

(F) Not be excluded, debarred, suspended, or disqualified by	107
a federal agency for misconduct.	108

Sec. 4783.08.  Application for the Ohio health care	109
professional loan repayment program shall be made on a form	110
developed and provided by the Ohio department of health. An	111
application is complete only if it includes all information and	112
supporting documentation required by rules adopted under section	113
4783.04 of the Revised Code. The application must be accompanied	114
by any fee required by those rules.	115

Sec. 4783.09.  The director of health shall consider each	116
qualified applicant for the Ohio health care professional loan	117
repayment program on the basis of the applicant's ability and	118
commitment to service to the medically underserved in health	119
shortage areas. The director shall select the program's	120
participants. The director shall determine the amount of each	121
grant and each participant's service obligation in accordance with	122
rules adopted under section 4783.04 of the Revised Code.	123

A health care professional who accepts a grant from the	124
program shall fulfill the service obligation specified by the	125
director. A health care professional who fails to fulfill a	126
service obligation without good cause shall repay the amount	127
accepted and pay the monetary penalty specified in rules adopted	128
under section 4783.04 of the Revised Code. The director shall	129
determine whether there is good cause for failure to complete a	130
service obligation. The director's decision is final.	131