Physician Workforce Enhancement Act of 2008

PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - September 23, 2008)

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Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Health care workforce issues are going to be a major and developing problem over the next several years, and it's a problem that the country really doesn't know a great deal about. In fact, in the next 20 to 30 years our population is going to age, and it's going to grow. And the current trends suggest that we will reach a critical shortage of physicians in growing communities, and it'll be especially acute in some specialties.

The problem is complex. The problem is varied, and does not have just one solution. But in a modest attempt to spark the discussion on how to increase the domestic supply of physicians and provide at least one solution, Congressman Matheson and I introduced H.R. 2583 last year.

H.R. 2583 will assist small hospitals that serve rural or growing areas by providing them with financial resources to establish a residency training program for certain high need medical specialties.

While we need to increase the number of doctors, we also need to make certain that they practice in areas where they're needed. We need to develop new residency training programs away from the major urban centers. It is a rule of thumb that most physicians tend to settle and start their families and integrate into the community where they complete their residency training program. H.R. 2583 will help smaller emerging communities attract and retain the medical professionals that their communities will need to rely on well into the future.

H.R. 2583 would establish an interest-free loan program for eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs. Over the period of its authorization, it should operate at no cost to the American taxpayer.

To qualify, hospitals will need to have secured preliminary accreditation from the American Council of Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and have not had a residency training program in the past. These loans would go to pay salaries or benefits for residents, salaries of faculty and other costs directly attributable to the residency training program.

Mr. Speaker, in response to concerns raised during discussions on this bill, House Energy and Commerce staff and Member office staff have worked together in a bipartisan manner to address areas of concern. This bill represents a modest and an accountable approach to the growing problem of physician workforce issues.

This bill is supported by medical groups, and most notably, the American Osteopathic Association. I'm pleased also to have worked with Congressman Matheson on this important proposal.

So, Mr. Speaker, if Members want to help their smaller rural communities, and if they want to help attract medical professionals that their communities will need in the future, I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 2583 today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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