A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would increase funding for the National Health Service Corps, a program that provides scholarships and loan repayment programs to primary care providers.
The goal of the Restoring America’s Health Care Workforce and Readiness Act is to encourage more people to pursue careers in the medical field and address a projected shortage of doctors in the next decade. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 doctors within 12 years.
The bill was introduced by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), who had previously introduced a similar proposal in 2020 and 2021. The National Health Service Corps supports primary care medical, dental, and behavioral health providers. Increasing funding for the program will help build the next generation of health care providers, including doctors and dentists, especially in underserved rural and urban communities.
“Increasing our investment in the National Health Service Corps will remedy that shortage by encouraging more people to pursue careers in the medical field and service in areas of need,” said Senator Rubio in a statement.
Senator Durbin added, “Through scholarship and loan repayment, the National Health Service Corps is the premier program to build the pipeline of doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health providers across America.”
The proposed legislation would reauthorize funding for the National Health Service Corps and extend it through fiscal year 2026. President Joe Biden’s recent budget proposal called for $966 million in 2024 to expand the program.
The shortage of doctors and other health care providers has been further exacerbated by the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it even more critical to increase funding for programs like the National Health Service Corps.
