Report Title:
Dentists; Student Loan Repayment Program; Incentive
Description:
Establishes a dental care student loan repayment program as an incentive for dentists who serve in underserved communities and accept Med-QUEST and uninsured patients. (SD1)
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2729 |
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TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to dentists.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there is a severe shortage of dental services in the underserved communities of Hawaii, particularly with Med-QUEST and uninsured patients. This growing crisis is due to geographic isolation, lack of educational opportunities for dentists and their families, and salaries that are up to twenty per cent lower than on the mainland.
The legislature further finds that dental health is paramount in the overall health and well-being of the citizens of Hawaii and that an incentive program needs to be established to maximize the availability of quality dental care in underserved communities. The dental care student loan repayment program will advance this purpose by enabling dentists who are already licensed and experienced to fill the immediate need while alleviating the huge financial burden that professional education imposes on dentists.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a student loan repayment program as an incentive for dentists who serve in underserved communities and accept medicaid and uninsured patients.
SECTION 2. Chapter 321, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§321- Dental care student loan repayment program; establishment. (a) There is established within the department of health a dental care student loan repayment program to be administered by the director of health. The program shall provide student loan repayment to dentists in exchange for service in an underserved community in Hawaii as provided for in subsection (b).
(b) Pursuant to this program, the department shall award a dentist one year of educational loan repayment annually in exchange for every two years that the dentist agrees to practice in a state-designated dental health professional shortage area and up to a maximum of three years of loan repayment; provided that the dental professional:
(1) Is licensed to practice dentistry under chapter 448; and
(2) Meets at least one of the following criteria:
(A) The dental professional is employed by a federally qualified health center; or
(B) The dental professional owns or is employed by a practice that is open to new clients enrolled in the Hawaii medicaid program and offers dental services to the uninsured on a sliding fee scale or on a pro bono basis and forty per cent of the clients served are medicaid eligible or uninsured.
(c) There shall be established a special account within the state treasury to be expended by the department of health for the purposes of the dental care student loan repayment program.
(d) The department of health shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 91 to effectuate the purpose of this section. The rules shall address the following:
(1) Qualifications of applicants;
(2) Application procedures;
(3) The amount of student loan repayment available each year;
(4) Criteria for fulfilling an applicant's obligation for providing dental care in exchange for student loan repayment;
(5) The limitation, suspension, or revocation of repayments; and
(6) Sanctions for a violation of this section or any rule adopted pursuant to this section."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, to be deposited into the special account established under section 2 of this Act, for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.