A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University to coordinate a search for actionable solutions to physician shortages and to explore and expand health care opportunities in medically underserved areas in collaboration with community, state agency, professional associations, and other stakeholders.
SJR116 directs the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University to work together with community partners, state agencies, professional associations, and other stakeholders to identify actionable solutions to Kentucky’s physician shortages. The resolution focuses on medically underserved areas and populations, with particular attention to shortages of primary and specialty care, poor access to physician services, and physician retention in rural and underserved counties.
The measure calls for the universities to examine current efforts, build on existing programs, and consider new approaches such as community-based graduate medical education, expanding residency sites in underserved areas, safe international physician recruitment, workforce diversification, technology-enabled care, and other community-based medical models. It also requires an analysis of statutory or regulatory barriers that may hinder these efforts and directs the institutions to submit a detailed report to the General Assembly by January 1, 2027. The bill appropriates $250,000 in General Fund money for administration and report production and takes effect July 1, 2026, under an emergency clause.
The resolution does not directly change licensure, reimbursement, or health care delivery statutes, but it does create a legislative mandate for three public universities to study and report on physician shortages and access barriers. It also provides a specific appropriation to support the work and requires the report to identify responsible agencies, needed resources, timelines, and potential legal or regulatory obstacles. Its practical impact is to launch a state-coordinated planning effort that could lead to future statutory, regulatory, or budgetary changes aimed at improving access to care in underserved Kentucky counties.
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate and House unanimously in recorded votes, and the final enactment was signed by the Governor. The discussion reflected a shared concern about physician shortages, rural access to care, and the need to retain more doctors in Kentucky, especially in medically underserved areas.
There is no recorded committee debate or vote opposition in the materials provided, so no major contention is evident in the legislative history. The bill’s policy choices suggest possible areas of future debate, including the use of international physician recruitment, the expansion of graduate medical education, and whether universities and state agencies should be the primary vehicles for addressing workforce shortages. Any contention would likely center on implementation costs, regulatory barriers, and how aggressively Kentucky should pursue nontraditional workforce and care-delivery strategies.