LRB-1774/P1
ARG:skw
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Mott, BB0485 - Wisconsin Healthcare Provider Loan Assistance Program
For 2023-2025 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
education
Higher education
Health care provider loan assistance program
This bill makes four new categories of health care providers eligible for the Health Care Provider Loan Assistance program and provides additional funding for loans to these health care providers.
Under current law, the Board of Regents of the UW System administers the HCPLA program under which it may repay, on behalf of a health care provider, up to $25,000 in loans for education related to the health care provider's field of practice. The repayment occurs over three years, with 40 percent of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, repaid in each of the first two years of participation in the program and the final 20 percent or $5,000, whichever is less, repaid in the third year. A health care provider is defined as a dental hygienist, physician assistant, nurse-midwife, or nurse practitioner. The Board of Regents must enter into a written agreement with the health care provider in which the health care provider agrees to practice at least 32 clinic hours per week for three years in one or more eligible practice areas in this state or in a rural area. An “eligible practice area" is defined as a free or charitable clinic, a primary care shortage area, a mental health shortage area, an American Indian reservation or trust lands of an American Indian tribe, or, for a dental hygienist, a dental health shortage area or a free or charitable clinic. Money for loan repayments is derived from several sources, and loan repayments are subject to availability of funds. If insufficient funds are available to repay the loans of all eligible applicants, the Board of Regents must establish priorities among the eligible applicants based on specified considerations, including factors related to the degree of the health care need and shortage in the area. However, some funding for loan repayments is available only for health care providers who practice in rural areas.
This bill adds medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists to the health care providers who are eligible for loan repayment under the HCPLA program. These health care providers are eligible under the current terms of the program, except medical assistants. Medical assistants are eligible for loan repayment of up to $12,500 in total, with repayments of 40 percent of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, in each of the first two years and 20 percent or $2,500, whichever is less, in the third year. For purposes of an eligible practice area, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists are treated similarly to the way dental hygienists are treated under current law. The bill creates a new appropriation from the general fund to provide additional funding for loans to medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section
1. 20.285 (1) (br) of the statutes is created to read:
20.285 (1) (br) Health care provider loan assistance program. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for loan repayments to medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists under s. 36.61.
****Note: This Section
involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
****Note: It is my understanding that this appropriation amount will be $500,000 per year. If so, the draft will dedicate $500,000 per year of GPR to the four new categories of health care provider added to the HPLA program.
Section
2. 36.61 (1) (ae) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (1) (ae) “Dental assistant” means an individual who holds a certified dental assistant credential issued by a national credentialing organization.
Section
3. 36.61 (1) (af) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (1) (af) “Dental auxiliary” means an expanded function dental auxiliary holding a certification under s. 447.04 (3).
Section
4. 36.61 (1) (ak) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (1) (ak) “Dental therapist” means an individual licensed under s. 447.04 (1m).
****Note: This definition of “dental therapist” is copied from LRB-1105, which creates s. 447.04 (1m). Obviously changes must be made if LRB-1105 is not included in the compiled bill. LRB-1105 also includes treatments of s. 36.61 that are inconsistent with this draft and will need to be reconciled if this draft and LRB-1105 are included in the compiled bill.
Section
5. 36.61 (1) (am) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (1) (am) “Eligible practice area" has the meaning given in s. 36.60 (1) (ag), except that, with respect to a dental hygienist
, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist, “eligible practice area" means a dental health shortage area or a free or charitable clinic.
Section
6. 36.61 (1) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 36.61 (1) (b) (intro.) and amended to read:
36.61 (1) (b) (intro.) “Health care provider" means a any of the following:
1. A dental hygienist,.
2. A physician assistant,.
3. A nurse-midwife, or.
4. A nurse practitioner.
Section
7. 36.61 (1) (b) 5., 6., 7. and 8. of the statutes are created to read:
36.61 (1) (b) 5. A medical assistant.
6. A dental assistant.
7. A dental auxiliary.
8. A dental therapist.
Section
8. 36.61 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (1) (c) “Medical assistant” means an individual who has received a medical assistant technical diploma from a technical college under ch. 38 or who has successfully completed the national certification examination for medical assistants.
Section
9. 36.61 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 36.61 (2) (a) and amended to read:
36.61 (2) (a) The Except as provided in par. (b), the board may repay, on behalf of a health care provider, up to $25,000 in educational loans obtained by the health care provider from a public or private lending institution for education related to the health care provider's field of practice, as determined by the board with the advice of the council.
Section
10. 36.61 (2) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (2) (b) For a health care provider that is a medical assistant, the board's repayment under par. (a) may not exceed $12,500.
Section
11. 36.61 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (3) (a) The board shall enter into a written agreement with the health care provider. In the agreement, the health care provider shall agree to practice at least 32 clinic hours per week for 3 years in one or more eligible practice areas in this state or in a rural area, except that a health care provider in the expanded loan assistance program under sub. (8) who is not a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist may only agree to practice at a public or private nonprofit entity in a health professional shortage area.
Section
12. 36.61 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (3) (b) The agreement shall specify that the responsibility of the board to make the payments under the agreement is subject to the amount of funds transferred to the board under s. 20.505 (8) (hm) 6r., the contributions received and penalties assessed by the board, and the appropriation appropriations under s. 20.285 (1) (br) and (qj).
Section
13. 36.61 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 36.61 (4) (am), and 36.61 (4) (am) (intro.), as renumbered, is amended to read:
36.61 (4) (am) (intro.) Principal
Except as provided in par. (bm), principal and interest due on loans, exclusive of any penalties, may be repaid by the board at the following rate:
Section
14. 36.61 (4) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
36.61 (4) (bm) For a health care provider that is a medical assistant, principal and interest due on loans, exclusive of any penalties, may be repaid by the board at the following rate:
1. Up to 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, during the first year of participation in the program under this section.
2. Up to an additional 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, during the 2nd year of participation in the program under this section.
3. Up to an additional 20 percent of the principal of the loan or $2,500, whichever is less, during the 3rd year of participation in the program under this section.
Section
15. 36.61 (5) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (5) (a) The obligation of the board to make payments under an agreement entered into under sub. (3) is subject to the amount of funds transferred to the board under s. 20.505 (8) (hm) 6r., the contributions received and penalties assessed by the board, and the appropriation appropriations under s. 20.285 (1) (br) and (qj).
Section
16. 36.61 (5) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (5) (b) (intro.) If the cost of repaying the loans of all eligible applicants, when added to the cost of loan repayments scheduled under existing agreements, exceeds the total amount of funds transferred to the board under s. 20.505 (8) (hm) 6r., the contributions received and penalties assessed by the board, and the appropriation appropriations under s. 20.285 (1) (br) and (qj), then, subject to par. (bm), the board shall establish priorities among the eligible applicants based upon the following considerations:
Section
17. 36.61 (5) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (5) (b) 1. The degree to which there is an extremely high need for medical care in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which an eligible applicant who is not a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist desires to practice and the degree to which there is an extremely high need for dental care in the dental health shortage area or rural area in which an eligible applicant who is a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist desires to practice.
****Note: Section 36.61 (7) (e) overrides other provisions of s. 36.61 to guarantee that funding under s. 20.285 (1) (qj) is used to fund loans for health care providers who practice in rural areas. I have not incorporated s. 20.285 (1) (br) into this restriction.
Section
18. 36.61 (8) (c) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
36.61 (8) (c) 3. Practice at a public or private nonprofit entity in a health professional shortage area, if the health care provider is not a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist, or in a dental health shortage area, if the health care provider is a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental auxiliary, or dental therapist.
Section
19. 36.62 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.62 (2) Advise the board on the amount, up to $25,000 for health care providers other than medical assistants and up to $12,500 for medical assistants, to be repaid on behalf of each health care provider who participates in the health care provider loan assistance program under s. 36.61.
(End)
