When state Rep. Herman Morse needs to see a doctor, he drives 30 to 55 miles from Dexter to Poplar Bluff, Saxton, or Cape Girardeau where there is a hospital or doctor park, assuming he can secure an appointment. That’s because there is a shortage of physicians in rural areas of the state.
“Doctors used to be on the school board or maybe the city council,” Morse told the St. Louis Record. “But rural communities have lost that segment of their population.”
In response, Morse (R-Dexter) sponsored HB 906, which would establish a grant program for primary care physicians willing to work and reside in rural counties.
“I think it may be that doctors would prefer to work and live in the city or the suburbs,” Morse said in an interview.
Some 52% of the state’s doctors live in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, or Jackson County compared to 8% who live in Boone County, according to data provided by Morse.
“Rural residents currently receive medical care from nurse practitioners and they’d probably feel better talking to a doctor,” he said.
If approved, HB 906 would support grants that pay $10,000 per year for a minimum of five years to primary care physicians who agree to live and work in a rural county of fewer than 35,000 people, according to media reports.
“The bill is not written in a way that they are mandated to stay after the five year commitment,” Morse said. “The researchers wrote into the bill that if the doctor left before the five years, they might have to pay some of the $10,000 annual grants back.”
But Morse is uncertain whether $10,000 yearly is enough of an incentive.
“I had anticipated doctors probably right out of medical school that could use a little bump with their medical school expenses but I received a letter from a hospital administrator saying he didn't think it was quite enough money because doctors typically have a quarter of a million dollars or more lined up in school loans,” he said.
The Missouri House Committee on Rural Community Development discussed the bill last week and the Missourian News reported that the Missouri Hospital Association and Missouri Farm Bureau are supporters.
“There's a concern about whether or not there's any funding and there's a concern about whether or not tax credits might be better,” Morse said. “The bill is moving on to a rules committee.”