Bill may change WWAMI funding

BOISE — Idaho students who receive subsidized medical education through the WWAMI program could soon be on the hook for thousands of dollars in repayments.

House Bill 718 would require students to sign a contract agreeing to reimburse the state for its costs, unless they return to practice medicine in Idaho for at least four years after they’re licensed.

The legislation applies to students who enter the WWAMI program beginning in the fall of 2023. It also applies to students in the University of Utah medical education program.

Idaho doesn’t have a public medical school. The WWAMI and University of Utah programs give Idaho students an opportunity to attend medical school in neighboring states.

WWAMI, for example, is a five-state partnership between Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Idaho students attend their first two years at the University of Idaho, followed by two more years at the University of Washington.

The program sets aside 40 seats each year for Idaho students, for a total 160 students in the program at any given time. The University of Utah program has 10 openings per year for a total of 40.

The state currently provides an average of $43,100 per year in taxpayer support for each WWAMI slot and $53,100 for each University of Utah slot. That covers the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates; the students themselves pay another $42,000 per year in tuition and fees.

Statistics aren’t available for the Utah program, but only about 51% of the Idaho students who go through the WWAMI program end up practicing medicine in Idaho.

House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, who sponsored HB 718, wants to boost those numbers.

“When we’re asking the citizens of Idaho to subsidize these students, the fact that they aren’t coming back to Idaho is concerning to me,” he told the House Education Committee on Thursday.

Moyle said three other states in the WWAMI program already have similar reimbursement requirements in place.

Jeff Seegmiller, the director of the Idaho WWAMI program, reluctantly testified in support of the bill. However, that was contingent upon the Legislature passing House Concurrent Resolution 38, which encourages the state to fund 10 more WWAMI seats a year — or a total of 40 seats over four years – by the end of fiscal 2027.

Idaho currently ranks 49th out of 50 states in the number of physicians per capita, Seegmiller said.

“That’s not a good thing,” he said. “We know we need to grow this medical program to meet the needs of the state.”

The committee sent HB 718 and HCR 38 to the House floor with favorable recommendations.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.