An Act expanding loan repayment assistance for primary care physicians working in integrated primary and behavioral health care settings
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Create an account to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill creates a new state fund, the Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care Workforce Trust Fund, to provide loan repayment assistance to primary care physicians. Physicians working in practices that integrate primary and behavioral health services and have significant public payor patient populations are eligible. To qualify, physicians must have outstanding educational debt, not be receiving other Massachusetts loan repayment programs, and commit to a four-year contract with the commonwealth, with pro-rated assistance for part-time work.
Key provisions
- Establishes a new trust fund for loan repayment assistance.
- Prioritizes recruitment and retention of a diverse primary care workforce.
- Requires physicians to work in practices integrating primary and behavioral health care.
- Sets eligibility criteria including outstanding debt and a four-year contract.
- Provides pro-rated assistance for part-time physicians.
- The fund will be administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Requires a comprehensive program plan to be submitted for review.
- Mandates annual reporting on grant applications, awards, and amounts.
Who is affected
- Primary care physicians (family physicians, internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists)
- Healthcare practices integrating primary and behavioral health care
- Patients receiving care through public payor systems
Bill text
Read the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
Text extraction is in progress. View the official source.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
5 on record
Primary sponsor
Substance Use and Recovery Joint Committee on Mental Health
Cosponsors
Steven George Xiarhos
Arguments
Reasons offered for and against this legislation.
Arguments in favor
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yours