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House Bill H0178

2015 Freedom Index Score: (-2)


Analyst: Parrish Miller
Date of analysis: February 25, 2015

ANALYST'S NOTE: There currently exists in Idaho a program known as the "rural health care access and
physician incentive award." This program is funded primarily through "a fee to students preparing to be
physicians in the fields of medicine or osteopathic medicine who are supported by the state pursuant to
an interstate compact for a professional education program in those fields, as those fields are defined by
the compact." [Pursuant to Section 33-3723, Idaho Code.] The program can also be funded through
"state appropriations, private contributions, gifts and grants and other sources."
It is also worth noting as well that not all physicians who pay into this fund will benefit from it. According
to Section 39-5907, Idaho Code, to even apply for a rural physician incentive grant award, a physician
must meet the following criteria:
(i)
During the period covered by the award, the physician must be a rural physician providing
primary care medicine in an eligible area. A physician may provide patient care services in
primary care medicine in more than one (1) eligible area;
(ii)
The physician must be a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine and have
completed an accreditation council of graduate medical education or American osteopathic
association residency;
(iii)
The physician must be Idaho medical board certified/board eligible, be eligible for an
unrestricted Idaho medical license and be able to meet the medical staffing requirements of
the sponsoring organization when applicable; and
(iv)
The physician must accept medicare and medicaid patients within the capacity of his or her
primary care medicine practice.
The net impact of House Bill 178 is to double the amount of "physician incentive" grants which are
redistributed as a special perk in order to bribe physicians into serving "rural and underserved areas."
Additionally, the bill removes the existing requirement that the "total of all awards from the rural
physician incentive fund contractually committed in a year shall not exceed the annual amount
deposited in the fund that same year."

Point No. 6 Does it increase government redistribution of wealth? Examples include the use of tax
policy or other incentives to reward specific interest groups, businesses, politicians, or government
employees with special favors or perks; transfer payments; and hiring additional government employees.
Conversely, does it decrease government redistribution of wealth?
ANALYSIS: House Bill 178 modifies Section 39-5905, Idaho Code, to doublefrom $50,000 to
$100,000the "maximum amount of educational debt repayments that a rural physician may
receive" under the terms of this chapter. (-1)
House Bill 178 additionally modifies Section 39-5905, Idaho Code, to minimize an existing
limitation on distributions from the rural physician incentive fund. Under the current law, the
"total of all awards from the rural physician incentive fund contractually committed in a year
shall not exceed the annual amount deposited in the fund that same year," but under House Bill
178, "in determining the awards to be made in any given year, the board shall consider the
value of retaining an appropriate balance in the fund for use in future years." You will notice
that this change moves from a prohibition ["shall not exceed"] to a suggestion ["shall consider"]
and therefore serves to empower a governmental entity to do what it will rather than to abide
by an actual statutory limitation. (-1)

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