Medical residency training program grants.

Existing law, the Song-Brown Family Physician Training Act, declares the intent of the Legislature to increase the number of students and residents receiving quality education and training in the specialty of family practice and as primary care physician's assistants and primary care nurse practitioners. Existing law establishes, for this purpose, a state medical contract program with accredited medical schools, programs that train primary care physician's assistants, programs that train primary care nurse practitioners, registered nurses, hospitals, and other health care delivery systems. Existing law establishes the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, identify specific areas of the state that have unmet priority needs, and review and make recommendations to the Director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development concerning the funding of those programs that are submitted to the Health Professions Development Program for participation in the state medical contract program. The bill would establish the Graduate Medical Education Fund in the State Treasury to consist of annual assessments, on insurers or health care services plans that provide prescribed health care coverage, of $5 per covered life. The bill would require that moneys in the fund be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fund grants to graduate medical residency training programs. The bill would require the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, in consultation with the Graduate Medical Education Council, to develop criteria for distribution of available funds. The bill would establish the Graduate Medical Education Council to be composed of 11 members who are to be appointed as specified. The bill would require the council to, among other things, review and make recommendations to the Director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development concerning the funding of the medical residency training programs and submit to the Legislature an annual report, as specified. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.