Health Care Reconciliation Act's Gift to Public Health Students

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policynut

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I just found this in the health care reconciliation act (HR 4872) and thought it would be of major interest to public health students.

Have a look at it for yourself on THOMAS.

Would anyone apply for funding through this initiative? Additionally, does this really start this year (due to the 2010 funding allocation of 51 million)

I for one am incredibly intrigued by the proposal and would jump at the chance for this kind of funding.

Please help us out Senate!
Members don't see this ad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
It's Sec. 2231--Public Health Workforce Corps. So it looks like for the scholarship program (which includes a stipend), you have to work full-time while going to school. And for the loan repayment program (up to $35k per year), you have to work full-time for at least 2 years after you graduate.

There's also a section on Perkins loans. I hope that means the schools will be able to give out more Perkins loans (instead of the measley $500--thanks a lot, UMich).
 
Wow. This would work out perfectly for me.

Where do we sign up!?
 
I mean it makes sense...investing in public health and preventative health is a great way to reduce healthcare costs which is really what all this hubbub is about (in the non-political sense)

This is really a perfect opportunity for me. I can't wait until details start coming out.
 
policynut said:
Sorry, try this pdf version http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF

Start at Line 19 on Page 910 to see the text...

I'm still looking for where the heck this provision came from and who inserted it into the bill. I heard that ASPH had a total of one lobbyist on capitol hill, but i need a better source than hearsay for that one...
Click to expand...

OK just one more bit of research to post...

From opensecrets.org ASPH does mention the Public Health Workforce on page 3 in their HLOGA report. http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm...filingID=7E45CAB6-301A-49CC-A87A-FB17D07AB3C8


APHA also got in on the act to help out too.. See page 5 of their report http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm...filingID=C19E1D6E-B488-428A-9826-89F0ADC31ED5
 
Darn this is fun to track down...

Doris Matsui (D-CA), who is quickly becoming a favorite legislator of mine on the public health front due to the intro of another bill last year entitled the "Complete Streets Act of 2009", was the one who came up with the idea for the PHWC and the scholarship and loan repayment programs that accompany its establishment.

From an explanatory article by Matsui dating Nov 2009...

"To address these many problems, I introduced legislation earlier this year that would rebuild and bolster the dwindling community of public-health workers. The Public Health Workforce Investment Act, HR 2231, creates a new program of scholarships and loan repayments as incentives for public-health graduates to enter the public-health workforce. Much of my language in HR 2231 was incorporated into the comprehensive healthcare reform bill, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, as the Public Health Workforce Corps. This program will foster and support the medical professionals who serve on the front lines of disease prevention and treatment.

By offering federal subsidies for the cost of education in exchange for service in public-health departments, laboratories, and community health centers, my legislative language will enable public-health laboratories to compete on a level playing held with private entities for the best and brightest graduates."


Doris Matsui "Bolstering the public-health workforce". Medical Laboratory Observer. FindArticles.com. 22 Mar, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3230/is_11_41/ai_n42285309/
 
After all the details are made more clear....do you think that it will effect those of us going into school now or those in the next few years?

Thanks Policynut for all the links. Very interesting reads.
 
JMM051 said:
After all the details are made more clear....do you think that it will effect those of us going into school now or those in the next few years?

Thanks Policynut for all the links. Very interesting reads.
Click to expand...

It look like even if the scholarship isn't up and going right away (which it very well might be...i have no idea) there is still the provision for loan forgiveness for those who have already graduated.

Looks like wonderful news all around.
 
Even though the House version of the bill includes this, there's no guarantee the Senate version will, and we still have no idea when a combined version will hit the President's desk, right?
 
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I can't find hide nor hair of this proposal in the Senate health care bill that passed the house 219 to 212 last night. The only mentions of it are in the reconciliation act which passed the house last night with the 220 to 211 vote. The PHWC timeline for implementation seems to be fairly immediate because it allocates $$$ for FY 2010 through 2019 for scholarships. I'd feel most confident on the possibilities of a loan repayment program hitting those starting their MPH in the Fall of 2010 in due time to reap the benefits, but that's just speculation at this point...

Currently, the Senate is about to take up the reconciliation act of 2010, which contains a lot of improvements over the senate bill that passed the house last night. Obama is going to sign the senate version of the bill because it already passed both houses but this reconciliation bill still needs the senate to vote it up before it comes before Obama. That whole mess starts tomorrow and could be over before the Passover break next week. Or it could just get dragged waay out again...

In short, policy rocks, politics suck and parliamentary procedure enables my eye gouging habit....
 
Man...i hope this passes the senate quickly. I'm super anxious to see how this works and if I could possibly qualify for it before school starts this fall...or retroactively once school starts...or...

either way...i'm anxious for details

Boy would that be awesome.
 
A question about the bill maybe someone here can answer:

How is the Public Health Workforce Corps different from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or is it simply redundancy/expansion?
 
I hope it gets approved.. this would really help me out seeing that i already have over $90K in loans.. darn medskl :(
 
Seci said:
A question about the bill maybe someone here can answer:

How is the Public Health Workforce Corps different from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or is it simply redundancy/expansion?
Click to expand...

Here's what I can tell from looking at the 3/15 version, which is not the final version and may not be what Congress passed ...

Section 2231 creates a subcategory of the National Health Service (42 U.S.C. s254d et seq) that will be called the Public Health Workforce Corps. The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (42 U.S.C. s 201 et seq) is a separate body of commissioned officers who are appointed by the President, or by the President with advice & consent of the Senate depending on the type of officer. So the two groups aren't the same thing, but as per the usual the naming is rather confusing.

Edit: The Secretary of HHS can designate Commissioned Corps members to serve in the Workforce Corps., or the Secretary can appoint civilians.
 
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Music333 said:
It's Sec. 2231--Public Health Workforce Corps. So it looks like for the scholarship program (which includes a stipend), you have to work full-time while going to school. And for the loan repayment program (up to $35k per year), you have to work full-time for at least 2 years after you graduate.
Click to expand...

I don't think you need to work full time. My interpretation of this (and it's not clear yet what made it into the legislation that was passed) is the following:

Both the scholarship and the loan repayment options are intended to help HHS staff the Public Health Workforce Corps.

1. 340M Scholarship Eligibility: a) Be already enrolled in a program approved by HHS or be accepted into an approved program, and b) be eligible for/be a Regular/Reserve (commissioned) Corps officer or be eligible for civilian selection for the Workforce Corps, and c) agree to serve in the Public Health Workforce Corps for either two years or the time it took to get the degree, whichever is larger, in exchange for scholarship assistance which may include: tuition, fees, lab expenses, books, stipend.

2. 340N Loan Repayment Eligibility: a) Complete a public health or other eligible degree or be in the final year of such a degree, and b) be eligible for/be a Regular/Reserve (commissioned) Corps officer or be eligible for civilian selection for the Workforce Corps, and agree to work at least two years (or more by agreement of the parties). In exchange the Secretary may pay up to $35,000 (inflation adjusted after 2012) in loans for each year of service in the Workforce Corps.

Eligibility for Regular/Reserve Commissioned Corps Officers has been established by HHS Regulations (42 CFR Ch. I, Subch. B, Pt. 21, Subpt. B). Under this statute, HHS will promulgate new regulations as to who is eligible for the Workforce Corps.
 
From what I read, it seemed that all you needed to do to be eligible is to work for a federal, state or local government agency for 2yrs after MPH graduation...but is that it? What else is involved in joining the Public Health Workforce Corps?

Besides not wanting to work for a government agency for 2yrs, what's the disadvantage of going through this program?
 
So now that this is passed...does anyone know any details?
 
yalemph said:
From what I read, it seemed that all you needed to do to be eligible is to work for a federal, state or local government agency for 2yrs after MPH graduation...but is that it? What else is involved in joining the Public Health Workforce Corps?
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell at this point because Congress left it up to HHS to decide what the qualifications are for the Workforce Corps. Eventually (since this legislation doesn't require it to be done in a specific timeframe) HHS will probably create regulations that specify what the qualifications are. The regulations could contain requirements similar to those of the current National Health Service Corps, the Commissioned Corps, a combination of the two, or it could be totally different.
 
aah..I see. So then I would assume that this legislation would really turn out to be no different from the National Health Service Corps (in that it would give money to clinicians who practice in underserved sectors). The reason I say this is because I don't think there is a shortage of MPHs going into public health, but there IS a shortage of primary care docs / etc..
 
I think there is a shortage of MPHers entering the type of government positions that this legislation is trying to fill...hence the incentive. (plus the more need that will come with the health care bills emphasis on public/preventative health)

Please post on here if you guys learn anything new about applying for this.
 
i don't have anything useful to add to the conversation yet except to say i'm glad i voted for doris matsui! i'm in her district so i'll keep my ears open. i'll be applying to programs this fall. matsui's website mentioned this bill last fall and i was hoping it would get into the final bill.

ok. i just spoke to someone in Matsui's sacramento office. she took my message and will forward it to another staff member who hopefully will have time to call me back. I didn't see any press release statements on Matsui's website specifically addressing this section of the health care bill.

I also sent an email to her regarding this issue. Maybe I'll get an answer. If I do, I'll post it here ASAP.
 
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hi folks,

i don't have time to read through this but here is what matsui's staff sent me regarding what made it into the final bill. looks like there could be some good stuff in there. on the phone, the staffer mentioned the loan repayment plan so maybe that's what will apply mostly to public health professionals.

alice

Hello Alice,

It was a pleasure speaking with you about the health care bill. I have pasted a bit of the text below…but you can find the entire text of the section about the Public Healthcare Workforce component of the legislation here.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Chris Flores
Office of Congresswoman Matsui

H.R.3590​
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)..​
​
.SEC. 5204. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAMS..
.Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.), as amended by section 5203, is further amended by adding at the end the following:.
.`SEC. 776. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM..
.`(a) Establishment- The Secretary shall establish the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (referred to in this section as the `Program') to assure an adequate supply of public health professionals to eliminate critical public health workforce shortages in Federal, State, local, and tribal public health agencies..
.`(b) Eligibility- To be eligible to participate in the Program, an individual shall--.
.`(1)(A) be accepted for enrollment, or be enrolled, as a student in an accredited academic educational institution in a State or territory in the final year of a course of study or program leading to a public health or health professions degree or certificate; and have accepted employment with a Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency, or a related training fellowship, as recognized by the Secretary, to commence upon graduation;.
.`(B)(i) have graduated, during the preceding 10-year period, from an accredited educational institution in a State or territory and received a public health or health professions degree or certificate; and.
.`(ii) be employed by, or have accepted employment with, a Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency or a related training fellowship, as recognized by the Secretary;.
.`(2) be a United States citizen; and.
.`(3)(A) submit an application to the Secretary to participate in the Program;.
.`(B) execute a written contract as required in subsection (c); and.
.`(4) not have received, for the same service, a reduction of loan obligations under section 455(m), 428J, 428K, 428L, or 460 of the Higher Education Act of 1965..
.`(c) Contract- The written contract (referred to in this section as the `written contract') between the Secretary and an individual shall contain--.
.`(1) an agreement on the part of the Secretary that the Secretary will repay on behalf of the individual loans incurred by the individual in the pursuit of the relevant degree or certificate in accordance with the terms of the contract;.
.`(2) an agreement on the part of the individual that the individual will serve in the full-time employment of a Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency or a related fellowship program in a position related to the course of study or program for which the contract was awarded for a period of time (referred to in this section as the `period of obligated service') equal to the greater of--.
.`(A) 3 years; or.
.`(B) such longer period of time as determined appropriate by the Secretary and the individual;.
.`(3) an agreement, as appropriate, on the part of the individual to relocate to a priority service area (as determined by the Secretary) in exchange for an additional loan repayment incentive amount to be determined by the Secretary;.
.`(4) a provision that any financial obligation of the United States arising out of a contract entered into under this section and any obligation of the individual that is conditioned thereon, is contingent on funds being appropriated for loan repayments under this section;.
.`(5) a statement of the damages to which the United States is entitled, under this section for the individual's breach of the contract; and.
.`(6) such other statements of the rights and liabilities of the Secretary and of the individual, not inconsistent with this section..
.`(d) Payments-.
.`(1) IN GENERAL- A loan repayment provided for an individual under a written contract under the Program shall consist of payment, in accordance with paragraph (2), on behalf of the individual of the principal, interest, and related expenses on government and commercial loans received by the individual regarding the undergraduate or graduate education of the individual (or both), which loans were made for tuition expenses incurred by the individual..
.`(2) PAYMENTS FOR YEARS SERVED- For each year of obligated service that an individual contracts to serve under subsection (c) the Secretary may pay up to $35,000 on behalf of the individual for loans described in paragraph (1). With respect to participants under the Program whose total eligible loans are less than $105,000, the Secretary shall pay an amount that does not exceed 1/3 of the eligible loan balance for each year of obligated service of the individual..
.`(3) TAX LIABILITY- For the purpose of providing reimbursements for tax liability resulting from payments under paragraph (2) on behalf of an individual, the Secretary shall, in addition to such payments, make payments to the individual in an amount not to exceed 39 percent of the total amount of loan repayments made for the taxable year involved..
.`(e) Postponing Obligated Service- With respect to an individual receiving a degree or certificate from a health professions or other related school, the date of the initiation of the period of obligated service may be postponed as approved by the Secretary..
.`(f) Breach of Contract- An individual who fails to comply with the contract entered into under subsection (c) shall be subject to the same financial penalties as provided for under section 338E for breaches of loan repayment contracts under section 338B..
.`(g) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $195,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.'..
.SEC. 5205. ALLIED HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAMS..
.(a) Purpose- The purpose of this section is to assure an adequate supply of allied health professionals to eliminate critical allied health workforce shortages in Federal, State, local, and tribal public health agencies or in settings where patients might require health care services, including acute care facilities, ambulatory care facilities, personal residences and other settings, as recognized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services by authorizing an Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program..
.(b) Allied Health Workforce Recruitment and Retention Program- Section 428K of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078-11) is amended--.
.(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:.
.`(18) ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS- The individual is employed full-time as an allied health professional--.
.`(A) in a Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency; or.
.`(B) in a setting where patients might require health care services, including acute care facilities, ambulatory care facilities, personal residences and other settings located in health professional shortage areas, medically underserved areas, or medically underserved populations, as recognized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.'; and.
.(2) in subsection (g)--.
.(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (9) as paragraphs (2) through (10), respectively; and.
.(B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as redesignated by subparagraph (A)) the following:.
.`(1) ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL- The term `allied health professional' means an allied health professional as defined in section 799B(5) of the Public Heath Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p(5)) who--.
.`(A) has graduated and received an allied health professions degree or certificate from an institution of higher education; and.
.`(B) is employed with a Federal, State, local or tribal public health agency, or in a setting where patients might require health care services, including acute care facilities, ambulatory care facilities, personal residences and other settings located in health professional shortage areas, medically underserved areas, or medically underserved populations, as recognized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.'..
.SEC. 5206. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS..
.(a) In General- Section 765(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295(d)) is amended--.
.(1) in paragraph (7), by striking `; or' and inserting a semicolon;.
.(2) by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph (9); and.
.(3) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:.
.`(8) public health workforce loan repayment programs; or'..
.(b) Training for Mid-career Public Health Professionals- Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.), as amended by section 5204, is further amended by adding at the end the following:.
.`SEC. 777. TRAINING FOR MID-CAREER PUBLIC AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS..
.`(a) In General- The Secretary may make grants to, or enter into contracts with, any eligible entity to award scholarships to eligible individuals to enroll in degree or professional training programs for the purpose of enabling mid-career professionals in the public health and allied health workforce to receive additional training in the field of public health and allied health..
.`(b) Eligibility-.
.`(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY- The term `eligible entity' indicates an accredited educational institution that offers a course of study, certificate program, or professional training program in public or allied health or a related discipline, as determined by the Secretary.
.`(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS- The term `eligible individuals' includes those individuals employed in public and allied health positions at the Federal, State, tribal, or local level who are interested in retaining or upgrading their education..
.`(c) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015. Fifty percent of appropriated funds shall be allotted to public health mid-career professionals and 50 percent shall be allotted to allied health mid-career professionals.'..
.SEC. 5207. FUNDING FOR NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS..
.Section 338H(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254q(a)) is amended to read as follows:.
.`(a) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the following:.
.`(1) For fiscal year 2010, $320,461,632..
.`(2) For fiscal year 2011, $414,095,394..
.`(3) For fiscal year 2012, $535,087,442..
.`(4) For fiscal year 2013, $691,431,432..
.`(5) For fiscal year 2014, $893,456,433..
.`(6) For fiscal year 2015, $1,154,510,336..
.`(7) For fiscal year 2016, and each subsequent fiscal year, the amount appropriated for the preceding fiscal year adjusted by the product of--.
.`(A) one plus the average percentage increase in the costs of health professions education during the prior fiscal year; and.
.`(B) one plus the average percentage change in the number of individuals residing in health professions shortage areas designated under section 333 during the prior fiscal year, relative to the number of individuals residing in such areas during the previous fiscal year.'..
.SEC. 5208. NURSE-MANAGED HEALTH CLINICS..
.(a) Purpose- The purpose of this section is to fund the development and operation of nurse-managed health clinics..
.(b) Grants- Subpart 1 of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 330A the following:.
.`SEC. 330A-1. GRANTS TO NURSE-MANAGED HEALTH CLINICS..
.`(a) Definitions-.
.`(1) COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES- In this section, the term `comprehensive primary health care services' means the primary health services described in section 330(b)(1)..
.`(2) NURSE-MANAGED HEALTH CLINIC- The term `nurse-managed health clinic' means a nurse-practice arrangement, managed by advanced practice nurses, that provides primary care or wellness services to underserved or vulnerable populations and that is associated with a school, college, university or department of nursing, federally qualified health center, or independent nonprofit health or social services agency..
.`(b) Authority to Award Grants- The Secretary shall award grants for the cost of the operation of nurse-managed health clinics that meet the requirements of this section..
.`(c) Applications- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall--.
.`(1) be an NMHC; and.
.`(2) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing--.
.`(A) assurances that nurses are the major providers of services at the NMHC and that at least 1 advanced practice nurse holds an executive management position within the organizational structure of the NMHC;.
.`(B) an assurance that the NMHC will continue providing comprehensive primary health care services or wellness services without regard to income or insurance status of the patient for the duration of the grant period; and.
.`(C) an assurance that, not later than 90 days of receiving a grant under this section, the NMHC will establish a community advisory committee, for which a majority of the members shall be individuals who are served by the NMHC..
.`(d) Grant Amount- The amount of any grant made under this section for any fiscal year shall be determined by the Secretary, taking into account--.
.`(1) the financial need of the NMHC, considering State, local, and other operational funding provided to the NMHC; and.
.`(2) other factors, as the Secretary determines appropriate..
.`(e) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for the fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2014.'..
.SEC. 5209. ELIMINATION OF CAP ON COMMISSIONED CORPS..
.Section 202 of the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102-394) is amended by striking `not to exceed 2,800'..
.SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS..
.Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:.
.`SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS..
.`(a) Establishment-.
.`(1) IN GENERAL- There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency..
.`(2) REQUIREMENT- All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended..
.`(3) APPOINTMENT- Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate..
.`(4) ACTIVE DUTY- Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training..
.`(5) WARRANT OFFICERS- Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this Act and title 37, United States Code, to be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned Corps of the Service..
.`(b) Assimilating Reserve Corp Officers Into the Regular Corps- Effective on the date of enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all individuals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this section (as such section existed on the day before the date of enactment of such Act) and serving on active duty shall be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps..
.`(c) Purpose and Use of Ready Research-.
.`(1) PURPOSE- The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service's reserve program) to assist regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions..
.`(2) USES- The Ready Reserve Corps shall--.
.`(A) participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;.
.`(B) be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;.
.`(C) be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and domestic; and.
.`(D) be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in section 799B) to improve access to health services..
.`(d) Funding- For the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for recruitment and training and $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the Ready Reserve Corps.'..
 
Oh wow. It's really good to have someone in her district on the forum. I've read most of this section of the bill but is there any way you might be able to find out how we apply and when the program will start?
 
Wow, thanks Alice. That's easier to read than the other versions I've seen. Yay for Sacramento! (For once.)
 
it is kind of shocking when something useful manages to get passed by either the state or the feds! i really hope this program winds up helping out those of us who will be taking out loans. it's not like these careers necessarily pay a bunch of $$.

i replied to chris regarding implementation of this section of the reconciliation act. hopefully he will know. i'll let you know when he gets back to me. it does sound like the amount of money available every year to repay back the loans will be determined by how much the HHS secretary appropriates for the program. i don't know how that process works but hopefully it will be an easy one that doesn't require a ton of political bull****!
 
I had asked the previous staffer when this loan repayment program would start up and he forwarded my email to the next person up. I still didn't get the answer I was looking for but I thought what this guy had to say was interesting.

the scholarship program for the public health care work force got axed on the senate floor so the only part of matsui's original bill pertaining to public health folks is the loan program.

here's what he wrote me:

Hello Ms. Baker, I hope you are doing well. My name is Sam Stefanki, and I am the health-care policy adviser for Congresswoman Doris Matsui. Our office received your inquiry below, and I wanted to follow up with you to be sure that you have the correct information.
The final health-care reform package signed into law by President Obama included some aspects of Ms. Matsui’s public health workforce legislation, but not all of it. The primary difference between what Ms. Matsui proposed (which made it into the House-passed bill pretty much in its entirety) and what was finally signed into law is that the final package authorizes funding for loan repayment programs for public health workers, while the legislation Ms. Matsui proposed authorized funding for loan repayment AND for scholarships. The scholarships piece was not included in the final legislation because of Senate intransigence; we had it in the House bill but the Senate was not willing to go that far.
If you would like to read the actual language that made it into law, it is Section 5204 of H.R. 3590:


and then he pasted the same language the other staffer sent me. So, no news yet as to when the program will start. . . .

 
Well, not to make the good news about the loan repayment plan seem even more disappointing but there will be one more step before the program is up and running. Sam stated that they will still have to convince legislators to appropriate the funds for HHS. So, for those of you who like to get politically involved, it might take figuring out whose on that committee and if your congress person has any sway with those members to see if you can help push this one along.

It is now “authorized,” which means that the Health and Human Services Department is legally allowed to spend money to make the loan repayments happen. However, that money has not yet been “appropriated,” which means that the funding for it has not yet been made available by Congress. So, there is still one more step that has to happen (the “appropriating” step) before the loan program can begin.

It will take some advocacy strength to convince the Appropriations Committee of the need to fund this program, for sure...

--
Sam Stefanki
Senior Legislative Assistant and Rules Associate
Office of Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui
222 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7163
 
Hi folks,

Chris from Matsui's office got in touch with me about the next steps to implement this portion of the reconciliation bill. Here's what he says:

Hi Alice,

I really apologize for the delay in responding, but things have been hectic here. I think HHS is moving at their own pace for implementing the program. The catch is that Congress will have to appropriate money for it first, before anything can get started on it. So the earliest that money would be appropriated would be the end of this year, but realistically probably in the FY2012 appropriations cycle. So I am thinking it might take a couple of years.

I suggest that you visit www.healthreform.gov. They will be continually updating this website, so it should be a good source for information on implementation and the timeline.

I hope this helps. Again, I apologize for taking so long to reply.

Chris
 
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