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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 449
February Session, 2022
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF
PHYSICIANS IN THE STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2022) (a) For the fiscal year ending 1
June 30, 2023, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Office of Higher 2
Education, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, shall 3
administer, within available appropriations, a physician loan 4
reimbursement grant program to persons who meet the eligibility 5
requirements described in subsection (b) of this section. 6
(b) The program shall provide student loan reimbursement grants to 7
any physician licensed pursuant to chapter 370 of the general statutes 8
who (1) graduated from a medical school in the state or completed his 9
or her medical residency program at a hospital licensed under chapter 10
368v of the general statutes, and (2) is employed as a physician in the 11
state. 12
(c) Any physician who satisfies the eligibility requirements 13
prescribed in subsection (b) of this section and whose application made 14
under subsection (d) of this section is accepted by the Office of Higher 15
Education shall receive a grant for reimbursement of all federal and state 16
educational loans in an amount equal to twenty per cent of the balance 17
of such loans per year for each year the physician is employed as a 18 Substitute Bill No. 449
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physician in the state. A physician qualifying under subsection (b) of 19
this section shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while 20
such physician continues to satisfy such eligibility requirements. 21
(d) Physicians may apply to the Office of Higher Education for grants 22
under this section at such time and in such manner as the executive 23
director of the Office of Higher Education prescribes. 24
(e) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section 25
shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for 26
expenditure during the next fiscal year. 27
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2022) (a) On or before January 1, 2023, the 28
Commissioner of Public Health shall convene a working group to advise 29
the commissioner regarding methods to enhance physician recruitment 30
in the state. The working group shall examine issues that include, but 31
need not be limited to, (1) recruiting, retaining and compensating 32
primary care, psychiatric and behavioral health care providers; (2) the 33
potential effectiveness of student loan forgiveness; (3) barriers to 34
recruiting and retaining physicians as a result of covenants not to 35
compete, as defined in section 20-14p of the general statutes; (4) access 36
to health care providers; (5) the effect, if any, of the health insurance 37
landscape on limiting health care access; (6) barriers to physician 38
participation in health care networks; and (7) assistance for graduate 39
medical education training. 40
(b) The working group convened pursuant to subsection (a) of this 41
section shall include, but need not be limited to, the following members: 42
(1) A representative of a hospital association in the state; (2) a 43
representative of a medical society in the state; (3) a physician licensed 44
under chapter 370 of the general statutes with a small group practice; (4) 45
a physician licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes with a 46
multisite group practice; (5) one representative each of at least three 47
different schools of medicine; (6) a representative of a regional physician 48
recruiter association; (7) the human resources director of at least one 49
hospital in the state; (8) a member of a patient advocacy group; and (9) 50 Substitute Bill No. 449
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four members of the general public. The working group shall elect 51
chairpersons from among its members. As used in this subsection, 52
"small group practice" means a group practice comprised of less than 53
eight full-time equivalent physicians and "multisite group practice" 54
means a group practice comprised of over one hundred full-time 55
equivalent physicians practicing throughout the state. 56
(c) On or before January 1, 2024, the working group shall report, in 57
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 58
its findings to the commissioner and to the joint standing committee of 59
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 60
health. 61
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2022 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2022 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(c), "and whose application made under subsection (d) of
this section is accepted by the Office of Higher Education" was inserted
before "shall receive" for clarity and consistency.
PH Joint Favorable Subst.