Gov. Linda Lingle told state lawmakers yesterday she may veto a bill that would develop a program of loan repayments and other incentives for doctors and dentists to practice on the Neighbor Islands and in underserved urban areas. The Hawai’i Health Corps idea was the only proposal that survived last session to address the shortage of doctors in portions of the state. The program could provide loan repayments over five years for up to 100 doctors, with a priority on graduates of the University of Hawai’i-Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine. Lawmakers passed the bill after rejecting medical malpractice liability reform, which the Hawaii Medical Association, the Lingle administration and many Republicans argue would have encouraged more doctors to practice in rural and underserved areas. The Lingle administration said yesterday that loan repayments and other incentives raise fiscal concerns about whether the state could sustain the Hawai’i Health Corps now or in the future.
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