Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to modify the eligibility criteria for physicians and medical residents seeking loan forgiveness under the Minnesota Health Professional Education Loan Forgiveness Program.

Main Provisions

• Expanded Definitions: The bill provides refined definitions related to healthcare professionals, which include advanced dental therapists, mental health professionals, hospital nurses, and physicians, among others.
• Eligible Medical Specialties: The bill highlights specific medical specialties such as family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine for loan forgiveness eligibility.
• Service Area Focus: It clearly outlines the eligibility based on practice location, focusing on designated rural areas and underserved urban communities in Minnesota.
• Qualification of Loans: Defines which educational loans qualify for forgiveness, emphasizing that they must be government, commercial, or foundation loans used for education-related expenses.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The bill seeks to amend the existing law by updating definitions and expanding the eligibility categories for various health professionals to qualify for loan forgiveness.
• It specifies additional practice areas and redefines what constitutes a qualifying loan for the purposes of the loan forgiveness program.

Relevant Terms

health professional education, loan forgiveness, medical resident, physician, rural area, underserved urban community, mental health professional, nurse practitioner, public health nurse, advanced practice, tuition, education expenses.