The bill proposes the establishment of a primary care provider loan repayment program and fund within the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, along with an appropriation of $500,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2025. The program aims to provide student loan repayment assistance to eligible primary care providers in the state, separate from the existing student loan repayment program. It is designed to be available to all primary care providers in New Hampshire, not just those participating in the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) loan repayment program. The bill also creates a nonlapsing, continually appropriated fund that can accept public and private grants, gifts, or donations to support the loan repayment assistance.

The fiscal note attached to the bill indicates that the program will require significant funding, with estimated expenditures of $17.4 million in FY 2025 and $23.2 million in subsequent years. The Department of Health and Human Services anticipates that 50% of eligible primary care providers will participate fully, with an additional 10% potentially engaging in extension contracts. The bill does not provide sufficient funding to cover these estimated expenditures and does not authorize new positions to implement the program. The program is expected to take effect on October 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 6:12