Physicians and surgeons: loan repayment.

Existing law establishes the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians within the Health Professions Education Fund that is managed by the Health Professions Education Foundation and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Under existing law, the primary purpose of the account is to fund the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program, which provides for the repayment of educational loans, as specified, obtained by a physician and surgeon who practices in a medically underserved area of the state, as defined. Existing law also authorizes using the account to provide funding for the Physician Volunteer Program. Under existing law, funds placed in the account for those purposes are continuously appropriated for the repayment of loans and may be used for any other authorized purpose. Existing law requires that applicants for the loan repayment program be licensed by the Medical Board of California. Existing law imposes a $25 licensure fee on physicians and surgeons for purposes of the loan repayment program. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of osteopathic physicians and surgeons by the Osteopathic Medical Board of California and imposes various fees on those licensees. This bill would make osteopathic physicians and surgeons eligible for the loan repayment program and would require the Osteopathic Medical Board of California to assess an additional $25 licensure fee for that purpose. The bill would direct the deposit of those fees into the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians for purposes of the loan repayment program. The bill would specify that the $25 fee paid by physicians and surgeons and osteopathic physicians and surgeons shall not be used to provide funding for the Physician Volunteer Program. By increasing the amount of revenue in a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.