Lawmakers Introduce Loan Forgiveness Bill for Geriatricians
Lawmakers Introduce Loan Forgiveness Bill for Geriatricians
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) today introduced The Geriatricians' Loan Forgiveness Act. The bipartisan bill helps to address the shortfall in geriatric physicians by providing incentives for physicians to enter the field of geriatric medicine and geriatric psychiatry.
"The complex problems associated with aging require a supply of physicians with special training in the needs of seniors," said DeLauro. "We must provide incentives to attract physicians into a geriatric specialty to address the shortfall in this field and prepare our health care system to handle the strain of a growing senior population."
Fewer than 9,000 geriatricians practice in the United States, less than half of the current need. By 2030, the shortfall of geriatricians may reach 25,000 doctors. An additional concern is that estimates show that the number of seniors with psychiatric disorders will increase from 4 million in 1970 to 15 million in 2030. Unfortunately, many primary care physicians fail to detect mental disorders in older patients because they do not have the appropriate training
"With an ever increasing elderly population, this is the right time for this legislation to be approved in the Congress," said Ros-Lehtinen. "We need more physicians to enter the field of geriatric medicine and by providing incentives for them to do just that is what this legislation is all about."
The number of Americans over age 65 will double to 70 million - one-fifth of the population - as our nation's 76 million baby boomers near retirement age. Americans older than 85 represent the fastest growing segment of this population. This demographic group is projected to grow from four million Americans today to an estimated 19 million by 2050.
The legislation amends the Public Health Service Act to include each year of fellowship training in geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry as a year of obligated service under the existing National Health Corps Loan Repayment Program. The bill would forgive $35,000 of education debt incurred by medical students for each year of advanced training required to obtain a certificate of added qualifications in geriatric medicine or psychiatry.
http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2005/June/geriatricians_bill_06_23_05.html