Medical care for Wyoming communities.

23LSO-0374
2023
STATE OF WYOMING
23LSO-0374
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0179

Medical care for Wyoming communities.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Chadwick, Clouston, O'Hearn, Trujillo and Yin and Senator(s) Barlow and Hutchings

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to medical care; modifying Wyoming medical education provisions; requiring increased emphasis in higher education medical programs on health care in rural settings in Wyoming; providing for reports and legislative oversight; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), by creating a new subsection (e), by amending and renumbering (e) and (f) as (f) and (g) and by renumbering (g) to (h) is amended to read:

21
‑
17
‑
109.

Course in field of professional health services; authority to offer; contracts with students; repayment of funds expended; deposit of repayments.

(b)

To accomplish the purposes hereof and in order that degrees in such fields of professional health services may be awarded by the university the board of trustees may enter into contracts with other institutions, universities or colleges within or without the state that maintain schools for the training and education of students in professional health services and to expend its funds in connection therewith.
Before entering into contracts under this section, the board shall consider assessments of health care needs by geographic area and particular health care priorities identified by the office of rural health under W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
117. The board shall maximize the number of students trained and educated pursuant to this section as the board determines best meets those needs and priorities.

The board may institute recruitment programs of highly performing students in all undergraduate disciplines in order to enlarge the pools of eligible students to meet the need identified in this subsection.

(e)

In entering into agreements pursuant to this section, the board of trustees shall recognize the relative need for professional health care services in underserved communities and may prioritize agreements under this section accordingly, including:

(i)

Paying differing portions of the cost of attendance based upon the student's professional practice specialty and location at which the student provides or agrees to provide health care services during the term of an agreement under subsection (d) of this section;

(ii)

Providing different length of practice requirements for agreements under paragraph (d)(ii) of this subsection.

(e)
(f)

Any amounts, other than fees and tuition payments, paid by medical students in accordance with the contractual arrangements authorized under this section shall be deposited into a special fund designated the Medical School Student Fund, maintained and separately accounted for by the University of Wyoming, which fund may be added to by specific contributions from other sources.

The fund may be invested, at the discretion of the president of the University of Wyoming and the dean of the College of Health Sciences, for the production of income.

The investment income shall be expended by the University of Wyoming solely for direct assistance for relocation costs associated with practice in Wyoming,
contracts providing guaranteed minimum income during professional residency periods,
fees and materials for medical board examinations, rural training, dislocation, student development and scholarships to medical students as authorized by the president of the University of Wyoming and the dean of the College of Health Sciences.

The principal of the fund established shall remain unimpaired and only the income derived therefrom may be collected and expended from year to year.

The amount of income expended annually pursuant to this section shall not exceed an amount equal to four percent (4%) of the previous five (5) year average market value of the fund, calculated from the first day of the fiscal year. Any unexpended income shall remain in the fund. On or before October 1 of each year, the university shall submit a report to the joint appropriations committee and the joint labor, health and social services interim committee on income to the fund and expenditures from fund earnings during the prior fiscal year.

(f)
(g)

Upon recommendation of the president of the university, the board of trustees may relieve a student of the obligation to repay amounts expended under paragraph (d)(i) of this section, in whole or in part, where repayment would cause undue hardship.
In acting upon any recommendation under this subsection, the board shall consider the student's provision of health care services in underserved communities during the term of any agreement under this section, but nothing in this subsection shall be construed as mandating any final decision of the board.
The university shall annually report the number of students relieved from repayment under this subsection to the joint labor, health and social services interim committee not later than October 1.

(g)
(h)

Tuition and fees received by the University of Wyoming from students participating in the medical education program under this section, shall be separately accounted for by the university.

These funds are to be used by the university solely for the support of education and training conducted at the university pursuant to this section.

The receipt and expenditure of these funds shall be identified in the university's biennial budget request.

Section 2.

(a)

Not later than August 1, 2023, the following reports shall be provided to the joint labor, health and social services interim committee, joint education interim committee and joint appropriations committee:

(i)

The University of Wyoming shall report its plans to modify existing medical education program agreements to best meet the health care needs and priorities referenced in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), as amended by this act.

No modification of existing medical education program agreements shall be made pursuant to this act until the proposed modification is reported pursuant to this section;

(ii)

The University of Wyoming and the Wyoming community college commission shall report the number of students enrolled in Wyoming higher education programs for physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other health care professionals currently supported by state funds, university generated funds and community college funds, whether expended at a Wyoming institution or by a Wyoming institution through agreements with other institutions. The report shall:

(A)

Identify the amount of funds expended for the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years and anticipated to be expended in each fiscal year of the biennium commencing July 1, 2024, for each program by funding source;

(B)

Compare the number of students currently in each health care professional program with a recommended number of students for each program, giving consideration to the rural health office needs and priorities referenced in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), as amended by this act;

(C)

Identify further legislative action recommended and a long
‑
term strategic plan to best coordinate existing and potential additional physician and allied health care recruitment and education programs to meet the health care needs and priorities referenced in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), as amended by this act. The report shall specifically review and include any recommended changes to the time for repayment of health care profession loan programs or changes to practice requirements;

(D)

Identify potential collaboration agreements with Wyoming hospitals and health care providers which could be used to meet the needs and priorities referenced in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), as amended by this act.

(E)

Include suggested funding sources, including the need for an appropriation and amounts for potential collaboration agreements identified under subparagraph (D) of this paragraph. The report shall identify the recommended amount for an appropriation and whether an appropriation should be allocated in whole or in part to a permanent endowment fund established pursuant to Wyoming constitution article 15, section 20.

(iii)

The University of Wyoming shall report suggested recommendations regarding the Medical School Student Fund, created by W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109, which could be made to allow the university to address the rural health office needs and priorities referenced in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
109(b), as amended by this act.

(b)

Wyoming community colleges shall cooperate with the Wyoming community college commission in fulfilling the commission's reporting requirements under this act.

Recommendations required under this act may be joint recommendations of the University of Wyoming and the commission or may be independent of each other.

Section 3.

The joint labor, health and social services interim committee, joint education interim committee and joint appropriations committee shall review the reports submitted pursuant to this act.

The committees may meet jointly and may sponsor legislation for introduction in the 2024 legislative budget session jointly or separately as each committee deems appropriate in response to the report.

Section 4.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

1
HB0179