Home Economy Government Lawmakers make late-session push for health care reform

Lawmakers make late-session push for health care reform

Updated at 4:21 p.m.

By

Katie Castellani

-

05/16/2024

senate-leaders-1536x1022 — AS THE General Assembly session is winding down, lawmakers in both chambers are teaming up to get a series of bills passed focused on bolstering the state’s health care workforce. / PBN FILE PHOTO/NICOLE DOTZENROD

PROVIDENCE – As the General Assembly session is winding down, lawmakers in both chambers are teaming up to get a series of bills passed focused on bolstering the state’s health care workforce. A recently unveiled package includes four bills, three of which have versions introduced in each chamber and two are part of the Senate’s

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PROVIDENCE – As the General Assembly session is winding down, lawmakers in both chambers are teaming up to get a series of bills passed focused on bolstering the state’s health care workforce. A recently unveiled package includes four bills, three of which have versions introduced in each chamber and two are part of the Senate's HEALTH Initiative, that would address the ongoing shortage of health care workers and improve the diversity of the state’s medical workforce. Within the package is a measure sponsored by both Sen. Pamela Lauria, D-Barrington, and Rep. Kathleen Fogarty, D-South Kingstown, to establish a Primary Care Scholarship program. The program would be administered by the Commissioner of Postsecondary Education and allocate $3.58 million from treasury funds to provide four-year scholarships for doctors and two-year scholarships for physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Beginning in fiscal year 2025-26 it would be up to the General Assembly to continue appropriating funds for the scholarship. The program would require a recipient to provide two years of work in primary health care services within Rhode Island for every year they received a scholarship. Any medical school scholarship would last for four years and any nurse practitioner or physician assistant scholarship would last for two years. The maximum awarded for a medical school scholarship would be $70,000 each year and the maximum awarded for the nurse practitioner or physician assistant scholarship would be $47,000 each year. Lauria, who is also a nurse practitioner at Coastal Medical Inc., said it’s not certain whether the measure has been introduced in Rhode Island before but it has been done in other states. She said it would not only boost the pipeline of primary care providers, but allow for those of different socioeconomic backgrounds to enter the medical field without having to worry about student loans. “It does two things: It helps build a workforce for Rhode Island in primary care as we're in danger of by 2030 having up to 20% of Rhode Islanders be without a primary care provider, but it also does it with an eye on equity,” Lauria told PBN. Over the course of four years, the scholarship would fund education for five medical students, 10 nurse practitioners and 10 physician assistants, for a total of 25 providers. While Lauria said the scholarship wouldn’t address the entire issue with workforce shortages, it is one potential solution. She said predictions show that if nothing is done now, there will be a shortage of 100 primary care providers with an average panel size of 1,800 to 2,000 patients by 2030. Both the Senate and House Finance Committee recommended the measure be held for further study, though Lauria said feedback on the bill has been mainly positive. “I think the urgency of this problem is becoming more apparent to the greater population and it was very well received in committee,” Lauria said. Other bills in the package include:

Another set of companion bills from Sen. Lauria and Rep. Fogarty that would provide $2.7 million to primary care practices to work as interdisciplinary clinical training sites. It would recruit 30 advanced primary care training sites with at least one teacher, increasing training slots by 50% for nurse practitioner, physician assistant students and physician residents. The Senate and House Finance Committees recommended the bill be held for further study.
Rep. Teresa Tanzi, D-South Kingstown and Sen. Sandra Cano, D-Pawtucket, introduced matching bills to establish what’s called the Ladders to Licensure program. This would be a grant program administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to help health care paraprofessionals access higher education with a focus on behavioral health and nursing. The House Finance Committee recommended Tanzi’s bill be held for further study, Cano’s has yet to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee.
Another bill from Tanzi would increase the annual funding to the Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program from $100,000 to $1 million. The program provides up to $50,000 per person in loan repayment assistance for licensed health care professionals. In return recipients would commit to working at community health centers, mental health centers, dental clinics and other sites with high patient need for at least two years. The House Finance Committee recommended the bill be held for further study.

The collaboration also comes months after Senate leaders unveiled a 25-bill package known as the Rhode Island HEALTH (Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health) Initiative that is focused on addressing four areas of Rhode Island’s health care system: consumer protection, provider availability and care quality, cost containment and health system financial stability. Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, said Tuesday the HEALTH Initiative is “well underway” as some bills are expected to pass out of committee this week. Miller said there’s a good chance most of the bills will pass this session, but hearings and discussions in committees over the next few weeks will be telling how much of what was initially proposed makes it to Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s desk. When asked about House support for the HEALTH Initiative, House Democratic leadership spokesman Larry Berman said “everything is still under consideration at this point in the legislative session.” Berman also said the bills in the latest package have yet to pass the Senate, but if they do they would be given “... fair consideration in the House.” Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, D-Cumberland, said that while the bills are being reviewed in committee, Senators have remained “...committed to the goals of our health care reforms: improving consumer protection, provider availability and quality of care, cost containment and the overall stability of our health care system.” “I am very grateful to the many senators who have been committed to developing effective solutions to the complex challenges facing our health care system, including the bills contained in the Rhode Island HEALTH Initiative, as well as many other important pieces of legislation,” Pearson said. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-North Providence, agreed. “The condition of our health care system is one of the most urgent issues we face, and addressing it is a top priority for the Senate. The Rhode Island HEALTH Initiative we unveiled in March is a key part of this effort, and we will thoroughly evaluate all proposals to stabilize and strengthen care across our state,” Ruggerio said. McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said the administration is "continuing to review the proposed legislation and is tracking their progress." (SUBS last paragraph with comment from governor's office.) Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.