CANTWELL, COLLINS, WHITEHOUSE ANNOUNCE LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AND SHORTAGE OF PRIMARY CARE WORKERS
'Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act' Would Provide Efficient, Prevention-Oriented Care Throughout the Nation
“As the country talks about how to provide health care coverage to the uninsured, we must also address shortages in access to care for the underserved,” said Cantwell. “While providing the uninsured with coverage is a priority, it's not enough if people don't have access to qualified physicians. We must address both problems as we set about reforming the health care system. Experts estimate that there will be a shortage of 46,000 primary care physicians, even as the number of patients increases, by 2025. We can address this problem by adopting long overdue reforms to improve pay levels for primary care providers, while also taking measures to ensure an adequate primary care workforce, especially in rural areas.”
According to a report issued by the
“Our country faces a critical shortage of primary care providers, especially in rural states like
“Our health care system is complex and costly, yet doesn’t provide patients with the quality of care they need,” said Sen. Whitehouse, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Improving access to primary care is the bedrock of a cost-effective, high-quality health care system and this legislation will bring us closer to that goal.”
Specifically, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act would:
- Establish scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments in critical shortage areas;
- Create grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers;
- Increase Title VII and National Health Service Corps funding for primary care training;
- Remove caps on the number of residencies funded by the Medicare GME program with a preference for the new residencies given to primary care;
- Eliminates barriers to increased training in ambulatory care settings for primary care trainees; and,
- Enact Medicare payment reforms to support the value of primary care in improving quality, coordinating care and reducing costs, and a transition to a new payment system based on the Patient Centered Medical Home.
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