NJ Lawmaker Wants Med School Loan Forgiveness For Docs Who Serve Where Needed
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- New Jersey legislators are considering a measure that could put doctors where they are most needed around the state.
The proposal, which has cleared an Assembly committee, would be targeted at those who live in the state and attend medical school here.
"This legislation is designed to help encourage students in a profession that is very expensive from an educational standpoint, to really help address and drive the health care provider shortage that we currently have," says Assembly majority leader Lou Greenwald, a co-sponsor of the measure.
Greenwald says the shortage is expected to rise to some 5,000 primary care physicians over time.
The idea of the proposal: for medical students who agree to work full time for four years in an area of the state where their services are needed, the state will reimburse them for the cost of their education.
Whether the plan will move forward during the current lame-duck legislative session remains to be seen.
