Texas Senate Overwhelming OKs Physician Loan Repayment Bill

Family Doctors, Community Health Centers Urge Quick House Approval

Austin, Texas -- Following approval in the Texas Senate late Tuesday by an overwhelming 29-2 vote, the Legislature is very close to passing a historic measure to address the physician shortage in medically underserved areas of the state.

Committee Substitute for House Bill 2154 now only needs concurrence by the Texas House of Representatives to be sent to the governor.

The Texas Senate made a very emphatic statement last night in an effort to address the doctor shortage issue, said Tom Banning, chief executive officer of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP). Physicians and health care advocates are now urging the Texas House to act quickly to approve approve this important health care bill and send it to the governor.

HB 2154 will fund a physician loan repayment program that will attract more than 225 physicians annually to health professional shortage areas across the state. This bill is authored by Rep. Al Edwards of Houston and sponsored by state Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa of McAllen. It enjoys broad bipartisan support and earlier passed the House with more than 90 votes.

This is an incredibly important measure, and the community health centers of Texas are deeply indebted to the entire Senate for its timely action, said Jose E. Camacho, executive director of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC). We urge the House leadership to act quickly as well. Our community health centers need the doctors this measure will attract.

Both groups noted that the measure had many legislative champions, including Rep. Warren Chisum of Pampa, Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston, Rep. Richard Raymond of Laredo, Rep. Veronica Gonzales of McAllen, and Sen. Steve Ogden of Bryan. And both expressed gratitude to Sen. Ogden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, for his leadership on the measure.

Senator Ogden was instrumental in the passage of this bill, and the patients and physicians of Texas are grateful for his leadership, Banning said. This historic measure could dramatically improve access to health care for millions of Texans. Within four years Texas will have 900 new physicians serving communities in need. Texas established the nation'ss first physician loan repayment program and can once again serve as a national model for recruiting and retaining physicians to serve in our medically underserved communities.

More than 225 physicians per year will be eligible to receive loan repayment for serving in a health professional shortage area of the state. Within four years, the physician education loan repayment program will be operating at full strength, sending more than 900 physicians to underserved communities.

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