Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 19G the following section:-

Section 19H. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Gateway municipality”, a municipality with a population greater than 35,000 and less than 250,000 with a median household income below the commonwealth's average and a rate of educational attainment of a bachelor's degree or above that is below the commonwealth's average.

“Health care facility”, a licensed institution providing health care services or a health care setting including, but not limited to, hospitals and other inpatient centers, ambulatory, surgical or treatment centers, behavioral health centers, skilled nursing centers, residential treatment centers, diagnostic, laboratory and imaging centers and rehabilitation and other therapeutic health centers.

(b) Subject to appropriation, any physician, dentist or nurse licensed in the commonwealth pursuant to chapter 112 shall be eligible for tuition reimbursement for their undergraduate, dental, medical or nursing school tuition paid or student loans incurred.

(c) To qualify for the tuition reimbursement pursuant to subsection (a): (i) the undergraduate, dental, medical or nursing school must be physically located in the United States; and (ii) the physician, dentist or nurse shall be practicing and have a physical office or physically work in a gateway municipality.

(d) The rate of tuition reimbursement for tuition paid or student loans incurred shall be at a rate of 10 per cent of the total tuition paid for undergraduate, dental, medical or nursing school. The 10 per cent shall be paid after practicing in a gateway municipality for over 10 years.

(e) All patients shall be served in a health care facility located in a gateway municipality.

(f) Any nurse practitioner, physician assistant and dental hygienist shall be eligible for tuition reimbursement under this section.