Deputy Speaker of the Pennsylvania House, Josh Shapiro, Democratic represenative of the 153rd district, has introduced new legislation that will help the state attract and keep doctors. According to his press release:
Shapiro's proposal (H.B. 1093), which has 42 co-sponsors, would create a
medical school loan forgiveness program for doctors who promise to
practice in Pennsylvania for 10 years.
Read more information on Shapiro's bill here.
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5 comments:
Given the high cost of health care, I wonder if it wouldn't make sense for the state to hire its own doctors and nurses to staff underserved/rural areas? I'm sure there are good medical students who would trade having their medical schooling costs and insurance paid, for job security and lower pay that might go with working for the state.
I wonder if the domestic version of the Peace Corps has something like that in it. Seems like a friend of mine in college went to med school on a program that forgave or deferred loans if she practiced in a rural area or on an Indian resesrvation.
Yes, I've heard of those kind of programs, too, but what I'd advocate is these doctors and nurses actually be state employees.
I'm a medical student in PA. The issue Shapiro et al are trying to address is not purely a money issue for people like me. It is an issue of choice. When I graduate I can go to another state and earn more money and pay lower insurance premiums doing the exact same thing I would be doing here in PA. That leaves me very little incentive to stay here. The state population is aging, and so is the physician workforce. It has been reported that nearly 40% of physicians in PA are planning on retiring within 10 yrs. At the same time, only about 3% of the physician workforce are "new" (ie, aged 35 or less). This bill is about providing good health care to the people of PA. With this incentive in place I would not feel the need to specialize, which would result in much higher pay rates for myself, and I would not feel the need to leave the state. That would result in people like me providing primary care services to the people of PA and improving the quality and availability of care to the citizens of PA. This is not to say this is an ultimate fix; it is not. Tort reform and a new system of health coverage that is available to everyone are necessary to achieve optimal health care for everyone, but this is a start. The state will be in a health crisis soon without something like this incentive. Besides, once I'm here for ten years getting my loans paid off, I'm not likely to leave. I'll have roots. That's the goal of the bill.
Logan,
excellent points, thank you for stopping in.
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