U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in introducing the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act. This legislation will incentivize more health professionals to serve and plant roots in rural communities.
U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are sponsoring this legislation and Representative David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Health care facilities across the nation are struggling to recruit and retain enough workers to provide the care their patients need and deserve. In Alaska, these challenges are only exacerbated by our expansive geography and lack of communities connected by a road system. By establishing this demonstration program, we’ll create new incentives for health care professionals to serve in rural and remote areas facing workforce shortages,” said Senator Murkowski. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan legislation to help bolster our nation’s health corps in an effort to improve care for some of Alaska’s most vulnerable populations while also strengthening our healthcare workforce.”
Specifically, the Rural America Health Corps Act:
- Creates a new loan repayment program titled “NHSC Rural Provider Loan Repayment Program.”
- Includes a range of providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
- Ensures practitioners would be eligible for loan repayment on a sliding scale, based on the severity of the shortage in that area.
- Waives any associated income tax liability for the loan repayment program.
Click here for bill text.