Restoring the Doctors of Our Country through Scholarships Act of 2014 or RDOCS Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to make matching grants under which states provide RDOCS scholarships, paying all costs of a student's undergraduate medical education, to provide for the increased availability of primary health care services in health professional shortage areas.
Requires the scholarship recipient to agree to residency training in a primary care specialty and a five-year post-graduate period of service in a health professional shortage area.
Requires that preference be given in awarding scholarships to applicants enrolled in: (1) an accelerated track family-medicine program (an integrated course of study allowing completion of undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education in six years), or (2) a program that includes clinical training in rural or underserved urban communities.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5223 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5223
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to States
for the purpose of assisting the States in operating an RDOCS program
in order to provide for the increased availability of primary health
care services in health professional shortage areas.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 28, 2014
Mr. McDermott introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to States
for the purpose of assisting the States in operating an RDOCS program
in order to provide for the increased availability of primary health
care services in health professional shortage areas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Restoring the Doctors of Our Country
through Scholarships Act of 2014'' or the ``RDOCS Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Due to an aging population, the retirement of a
generation of physicians, and 30,000,000 newly insured under
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 110-
148), the United States is expected to experience an acute
physician workforce shortage in the coming decades,
particularly in primary care. If unaddressed, this shortage
will compromise the health of the population as well as the
ability of the United States to remain competitive in the
world.
(2) By 2020, the shortage of primary care doctors is
expected to reach 45,000.
(3) The shortage will disproportionately impact rural
communities and underserved urban communities.
(4) The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) model of
education and training is a respected and effective way of
meeting the Nation's need for educated and trained officers in
the United States Armed Forces, and can be applied to solving
the Nation's primary care shortage.
(5) There are 10 applicants for each National Health
Service Corps scholarship awarded, indicating the unmet demand
for medical scholarships.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO STATES FOR RESTORING THE DOCTORS OF OUR COUNTRY
THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS (RDOCS) PROGRAMS.
Subpart III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 338N. GRANTS TO STATES FOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.
``(a) Grants to States.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration, shall make grants to States for the purpose of
assisting the States in operating a program described in
paragraph (2) (referred to in this section as an `RDOCS
program') in order to provide for the increased availability of
primary health care services in health professional shortage
areas.
``(2) Applications.--To seek a grant under this section, a
State shall submit an application in such form, in such manner,
and containing such agreements, assurances, and information as
the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this
section.
``(3) Total number of new rdocs scholars each year.--
Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary
shall ensure that a total of at least 4,000 new RDOCS scholars
are awarded scholarships under this section each academic year.
``(b) Scholarship Program Described.--An RDOCS program is a program
of entering into contracts between the State involved and an RDOCS
scholar under which--
``(1) the State involved agrees--
``(A) to pay all tuition and costs for the RDOCS
scholar's undergraduate medical education, to the
participating undergraduate medical program, for a
period of study not exceeding 48 consecutive months;
and
``(B) to pay, during such period, a cost-of-living
stipend, in an amount to be determined by the
Secretary, to the RDOCS scholar; and
``(2) the RDOCS scholar agrees--
``(A) to be admitted into and maintain enrollment
in a participating undergraduate medical program in the
RDOCS scholar's State of residence (or if such State of
residence operates no such program, in a participating
undergraduate medical program in a State within an
associated region);
``(B) when enrolled in such program, to maintain a
minimum level (to be determined by the Secretary) of
academic standing;
``(C) to complete an accredited residency training
program in a primary care specialty;
``(D) to become licensed to practice medicine in
the applicant's State of residence;
``(E) to receive and maintain board certification
in a primary care speciality; and
``(F) to complete a 5-year post-graduate period of
service in a health professional shortage area.
``(c) Priority in Awarding Scholarships.--In selecting RDOCS
scholars and awarding scholarship contracts described in subsection
(b), the State involved shall give preference to applicants who are
enrolled in--
``(1) an accelerated track family-medicine program; or
``(2) a program that includes clinical training in rural or
underserved urban communities.
``(d) Direct Administration by State Agency.--The RDOCS program of
any State receiving a grant under this section shall be administered
directly by a State agency.
``(e) Requirement of Matching Funds.--
``(1) In general.--Any State receiving a grant under this
section shall, with respect to the costs of making payments on
behalf of individuals under scholarship contracts described in
subsection (b), make available (directly or through donations
from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions in
cash toward such costs in an amount equal to not less than $1
for each $9 of Federal funds provided through the grant.
``(2) Determination of amount of non-federal
contribution.--In determining the amount of non-Federal
contributions in cash that a State has provided pursuant to
paragraph (1)--
``(A) any amounts provided to the State by the
Federal Government shall not be included; and
``(B) any amounts expended by the State as
administrative funds to operate its RDOCS program may,
at the State's discretion, be included.
``(f) Coordination With Federal Program.--
``(1) Assignments for health professional shortage areas
under federal program.--Any State receiving a grant under this
section shall, in carrying out its RDOCS program, assign RDOCS
officers participating in the program only to public and
nonprofit private entities located in and providing health
services in health professional shortage areas.
``(2) Remedies for breach of contracts.--The Secretary may
not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State involved
agrees that the scholarship contracts provided by the State
pursuant to subsection (b) will provide remedies for any breach
of the contracts by the RDOCS scholars and RDOCS officers
involved.
``(3) Limitation regarding contract inducements.--Any State
receiving a grant under this section shall ensure that
contracts between the State and RDOCS scholars under this
section do not include any terms more favorable to the RDOCS
scholars than the most favorable terms which the Secretary is
authorized to provide in contracts under the National Health
Service Corps Scholarship Program under section 338A, including
terms regarding the availability of remedies for any breach of
the contracts by the health professionals involved.
``(g) Restrictions on Use of Funds.--Any State receiving a grant
under this section shall not expend the grant funds for any purpose
other than making payments on behalf of or to RDOCS scholars under
contracts entered into pursuant to this section.
``(h) Reports by States.--Any State receiving a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary--
``(1) a report on the State's RDOCS program not later than
January 10 of each fiscal year immediately following any fiscal
year for which the State has received such a grant; and
``(2) such other reports regarding the State's RDOCS
program, as are determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
``(i) Reports by Secretary.--The Secretary shall report annually to
the relevant committees on the physician workforce in the United
States, and shall include in each such report--
``(1) data on the physician shortage, if any, disaggregated
by State and region; and
``(2) a gap analysis of the primary care practitioners
needed in each State and region, and 5- and 10-year estimates
of the funding needed to close the gap through the RDOCS
program.
``(j) Noncompliance.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not make payments
under this section to a State for any fiscal year subsequent to
the first fiscal year of such payments unless the Secretary
determines that, for the immediately preceding fiscal year, the
State has complied with each of the agreements made by the
State under this section.
``(2) Reduction in grant relative to number of breached
contracts.--
``(A) Determination of number of breached
contracts.--Before making a grant under this section to
a State for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall
determine the number of contracts provided pursuant to
the State's RDOCS program with respect to which there
has been an initial breach by the RDOCS scholars or
officers involved during the fiscal year preceding the
fiscal year for which the State is applying to receive
the grant.
``(B) Reduction of grants.--Subject to paragraph
(3), in the case of a State with 1 or more initial
breaches for purposes of subparagraph (A), the
Secretary shall reduce the amount of a grant under this
section to the State for the fiscal year involved by an
amount equal to the sum of--
``(i) the expenditures of Federal funds
made regarding the contracts involved; and
``(ii) an amount representing interest on
the amount of such expenditures, determined
with respect to each contract on the basis of
the maximum legal rate prevailing for loans
made during the time amounts were paid under
the contract, as determined by the Treasurer of
the United States.
``(3) Waiver regarding reduction in grant.--The Secretary
may waive the requirement of paragraph (2)(B) with respect to
the initial breach of a contract if the Secretary determines
that such breach by the RDOCS scholar or officer involved was
attributable solely to the professional having a serious
illness.
``(k) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
``(1) Accelerated track family-medicine program.--The term
`accelerated track family-medicine program' refers to an
appropriately accredited, integrated course of study in which a
candidate can complete undergraduate medical education and
graduate medical education in 6 years.
``(2) Associated region.--The term `associated region'
refers to--
``(A) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho;
``(B) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, and Vermont;
``(C) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Delaware and Pennsylvania; or
``(D) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.
``(3) Board certification.--The term `board certification'
means a certification to practice medicine in a specialty, by
an appropriate medical specialty board.
``(4) Health professional shortage area.--The term `health
professional shortage area' means a health professional
shortage area designated under section 332.
``(5) Participating undergraduate medical program.--The
term `participating undergraduate medical program' means an
allopathic or osteopathic undergraduate medical program
operated by a State.
``(6) Primary care specialty.--The term `primary care
specialty' means pediatrics, geriatric, gerontology, family
medicine, or general internal medicine.
``(7) RDOCS officer.--The term `RDOCS officer' means an
RDOCS program participant who has completed undergraduate
medical training, but has not yet fulfilled the remaining
requirements of his or her scholarship contract under
subsection (b).
``(8) RDOCS scholar.--The term `RDOCS scholar' means an
individual participating in an RDOCS program pursuant to a
scholarship contract under subsection (b), who has not yet
completed undergraduate medical education.
``(9) Relevant committees.--The term `relevant committees'
means the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives.
``(10) State.--The term `State' means each of the 50 States
and the District of Columbia.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1245-1246)
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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