I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1185 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a competitive loan 
repayment program for primary care physicians who commit to volun-
teering part-time at community health centers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2009 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
a competitive loan repayment program for primary care 
physicians who commit to volunteering part-time at com-
munity health centers. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Primary Care Volun-
teer Incentive Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PRIMARY CARE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
Part C of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 749. PRIMARY CARE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
alleviate critical shortages of primary care physicians. 
‘‘(b) LOAN REPAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a loan repayment program of entering into con-
tracts (under terms and conditions specified by the Sec-
retary and consistent with this section) with eligible indi-
viduals under which, subject to subsection (i)(2)— 
‘‘(1) the individual agrees to serve without pay 
for at least 4 hours each week for a period of 5 con-
secutive years— 
‘‘(A) as a primary care physician; and 
‘‘(B) at a health center, as defined in sec-
tion 330, designated by the Secretary (as of the 
date of the application of the individual for a 
contract under this section) as serving an area 
with a shortage of primary care physicians; and 
‘‘(2) the Secretary agrees to pay, for each year 
of such service, not more than $5,000 of the prin-
cipal and interest of the graduate educational loans 
of the individual. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to participate in 
the loan repayment program under this section, an indi-
vidual must— 
‘‘(1) have a degree in medicine or osteopathic 
medicine; 
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‘‘(2)(A) have completed an accredited graduate 
medical residency training program in primary care 
medicine; or 
‘‘(B) be enrolled in such a residency training 
program; and 
‘‘(3) submit to the Secretary an application, in 
such form, manner, and time as specified by the 
Secretary, for a contract under this section. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION, CONTRACT, AND INFORMATION 
REQUIREMENTS.—The provisions of section 338B(c) 
shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to the 
loan repayment program under this section in the same 
manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply 
to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment 
Program under section 338B, except that each reference 
to a health professional shortage area shall be deemed a 
reference to a community health center described in sub-
section (b)(1)(B). 
‘‘(e) PRIORITY.—In providing contracts under the 
loan repayment program under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to individuals who agree to serve in com-
munity health centers described in subsection (b)(1)(B) 
that are located in areas that the Secretary, as of the date 
of the individual’s application for a contract under this 
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section, has designated under section 332 as health profes-
sional shortage areas. 
‘‘(f) APPROVAL REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION.—An 
individual becomes a participant in the loan repayment 
program under this section only upon the Secretary and 
the individual entering into a written contract under this 
section. 
‘‘(g) PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A loan repayment provided 
for an individual under a written contract under this 
section shall consist of payment, in accordance with 
paragraph (2), on behalf of the individual of the 
principal, interest, and related expenses on govern-
ment and commercial loans received by the indi-
vidual regarding the graduate education of the indi-
vidual, which loans were made for— 
‘‘(A) tuition expenses; 
‘‘(B) all other reasonable educational ex-
penses, including fees, books, and laboratory ex-
penses, incurred by the individual; or 
‘‘(C) reasonable living expenses as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) PAYMENTS FOR YEARS SERVED.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For each year of serv-
ice described in subsection (b)(1) that an indi-
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vidual contracts to serve under this section the 
Secretary may pay not more than $5,000 on be-
half of the individual for loans described in 
paragraph (1). In making a determination of 
the amount to pay for a year of such service by 
an individual, the Secretary shall consider the 
extent to which each such determination— 
‘‘(i) affects the ability of the Secretary 
to maximize the number of contracts that 
can be provided under the loan repayment 
program under this section from the 
amounts appropriated for such contracts; 
‘‘(ii) provides an incentive to serve in 
community health centers with the greatest 
shortage of primary care physicians; and 
‘‘(iii) provides an incentive with re-
spect to the individual involved remaining 
in an area with a shortage of primary care 
physicians, and continuing to provide 
health services in primary care medicine, 
after the completion of the period of serv-
ice described in subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(B) REPAYMENT
SCHEDULE.—Any ar-
rangement made by the Secretary for the mak-
ing of loan repayments in accordance with this 
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