House bill would encourage doctors to move to rural Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) - A new bill introduced by Oklahoma's House Speaker Charles McCall would increase the number of doctors in rural areas of the state.

House Bill 3823 would encourage doctors to take jobs outside of major metropolitan areas by letting them claim a $25,000 taxx credit. If the bill passes, the tax credit would take effect in 2021.

The bill defines "rural areas" as any community with a population of less than 25,000 that's also positioned at least 25 miles away from a city with more than 25,000 people living there.

“Oklahoma ranks near the bottom of states for access to primary care in rural areas, and the majority of those primary care physicians we do have in rural Oklahoma are closing in on retirement,” said Speaker McCall, R-Atoka.

There are some caveats in the bill. It would limit the exemption only to doctors who graduated from a medical or osteopathic school in Oklahoma. The doctor must also live in the same county where they practice. Tribal doctors or doctors living within tribal boundaries would also qualify for the credit. The credit would be claimable for up to 5 years and would end once a total of $1 million was claimed statewide.

Speaker McCall calls the bill a pilot program to incentivize doctors to move to rural Oklahoma. He introduced a similar bill last year that passed the House but stalled in the Senate.