House Bill 257 Summary

• Establishes a Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPLRP) administered by the Delaware Health Care Commission to award education loan repayment grants up to $50,000 per year for a minimum of 4 years to qualifying primary care clinicians.

• Requires an annual $1 million state appropriation matched dollar-for-dollar by Delaware health insurers, with hospital applicants required to provide an additional dollar-for-dollar match for grants awarded to their clinicians.

• Limits eligible sites to those located in Health Professional Shortage Areas that accept Medicare and Medicaid, including hospitals, private practices, Federally Qualified Health Centers, community outpatient facilities, community mental health facilities, and free medical clinics.

• Restricts eligible clinicians to primary care providers including physicians in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Geriatrics, and Psychiatry, as well as Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants in specified specialties.

• Requires the Commission to issue annual reports on applicants and grant recipients by practice area and site location, and allows up to $150,000 annually for marketing and program infrastructure.