Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness for Health Act of 2019
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As an author of the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness for Health Act of 2019, also known as the EMPOWER for Health Act, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 2781. This moved with strong bipartisan support through regular order in the Energy and Commerce Committee and its Health Subcommittee.
As the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee in the last Congress, I made it a priority to get this bill to the House floor. While I succeeded in doing so, the Senate did not take up the legislation; so I hope, this year, with plenty of time and plenty of runway, the Senate will reauthorize these critically important programs.
This legislation reauthorizes the title VII health professions workforce programs for fiscal years 2020 through 2024.
Title VII programs have expired, but they continue to receive appropriations. In fact, in fiscal year 2018, the appropriations levels for these programs actually increased. Reauthorizing these physician workforce programs will provide the needed stability to those who depend upon this funding.
Title VII of the Public Health Services Act includes programs that are vital to building and maintaining a well-educated, well-trained physician workforce. The EMPOWER Act reauthorizes the funding for Area Health Education Centers at more than $40 million a year. These centers are critical in providing both medical education and healthcare services to medically underserved areas.
The bill also reauthorizes programs that incentivize diversity in the physician workforce, including the Centers of Excellence program which this bill authorizes at a level of $24 million per year. This particular program provides grants to medical schools that have a disproportionate number of minority students for the purpose of expanding the school's capacity or to improve curriculum.
Primary care is an important aspect of our Nation's healthcare system, and now many Americans receive the majority of their healthcare services through primary care centers. H.R. 2781 reauthorizes funding for our Primary Care Training and Enhancement Program at more than $50 million a year. This program provides grants to hospitals and other professional schools to develop and operate supplemental primary training programs.
Lastly, this bill aims to strengthen our workforce that cares for our geriatric population. This bill makes strides towards modernizing the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement program and the Geriatric Academic Career Awards. With an aging population, our workforce needs to be adequately trained in handling the unique needs of our seniors. These two programs enable physicians and other providers to be able to achieve that training.
I want to thank Representative Schakowsky and the staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee for their work on this legislation. Reauthorizing title VII is long overdue, especially in a time when our existing physician workforce is struggling to keep up with the demand for healthcare services.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers and am prepared to close.
This is a good bill. It was a good bill last Congress when we passed it then and sent it over to the Senate. The authorization on these programs has expired. They are continuing to receive funding. The people who depend upon these programs deserve the certainty that reauthorization would allow.
Madam Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source