House Passes Rapp Bill to Help Rural Health Recruitment

March 19, 2025

HARRISBURG — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, announced today her bill to provide financial incentives to recruit rural health care providers has passed the House. House Bill 157 would create the Rural Health Care Grant Program, which would allow specified facilities, including rural hospitals, to help certain providers in paying off their student loans.

“For many years now, rural Pennsylvania has been facing a public health crisis, a crisis of access to health care,” Rapp said. “Hospitals and other health care facilities across rural Pennsylvania have either been forced to shut their doors or to close specific units, such as maternity wards. This program creates a financial incentive to bring health care practitioners into those rural and medically underserved areas, to both live and work, where they will not only invest in the health care space, but in their communities as well.”

To be eligible to receive grant dollars, House Bill 157 would require licensed nurses, physicians, midwives, nurse-midwives, dentists and dental hygienists to begin practicing at a hospital, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), rural health clinic or birth center within six months of accepting a position; be classified as full time by working 30 hours or more per week, or 130 hours per month; and work in the facility for a minimum of three years.

“This bill alone will not solve the health care crisis,” said Rapp. “However, this program will be a valuable tool for both health care facilities and health care practitioners, and it will help fight the health care crisis in rural counties and designated medically underserved areas.”

The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717.772.9834
RepRapp.com / Facebook.com/RepRapp