Doing Double Duty For Healthcare
Op-Ed
Doing Double Duty for Healthcare
When I got sick as a child growing up in Brooklyn, Iowa, my parents took me to the doctor. Unfortunately, doctors are becoming harder to find in rural Iowa these days. Why? A big reason is because medical professionals have more opportunities and better incentives to practice elsewhere. The payments from the Medicare program to Iowa doctors, for example lag far behind the rest of the countryIowa ranks 80th out of the 89 Medicare payment regions nationwide in terms of payment rates for doctors.
Something has to be done to slow the "brain drain" of doctors from our state and keep the best and brightest health care professionals in Iowa. That's why I recently introduced two bills to make Iowa a more attractive place for physicians: the Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act and the National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Programs Reauthorization Act.
The Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act would increase Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians in Iowa and other rural states. This would put Iowa on a more equal footing with larger states who pay their doctors more. The result? Higher doctor retention rates in Iowa and better patient access to healthcare.
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Programs Reauthorization Act would renew a scholarship program for doctors known as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The NHSC is a popular scholarship and student loan repayment program for recent medical school graduates who commit to practicing medicine in underserved areaslike Iowa's rural areasafter medical school. My bill would dramatically expand the NHSC scholarship program, doubling its annual budget from $125 million budget to a $300 million.
And I will keep pushing for more health care legislation that keeps good doctors in Iowa and provides medical professionals with the financial incentives they deserve for their services. Better healthcare means a better Iowaa dual success.
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