Issue Position: Health and Medicare - Shortage of Healthcare Professionals

Issue Position

The increase in population growth in addition to a rapidly aging Baby Boomer generation is creating a shortage of health care professionals in our nation. Specifically in our region of southern California, Riverside County's population is expected to more than double by 2050, making it the second largest county in the State of California, with an estimated 4.7 million residents (1.9 million in 2005). Additionally, according to the California Medical Association, more than one-fourth of California's practicing physicians were over the age of 55 in the year 2000.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are a growing deterrent for physicians to enter the field. In an effort to reform the malpractice system, I supported H.R. 5 during the 109th Congress, the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act, when it passed the House by a vote of 230-194. This bill would limit the amount of non-economic damages to $250,000 as well as prescribe certain qualification for expert witnesses in malpractice cases. I do not support limiting economic damages, such as loss of wages, continued hospital and medical costs. Unfortunately, this issue was not considered by the Senate, and has not been revisited by the current Congress.

I strongly support the efforts being made by our local colleges and universities to promote careers in the health field. For example:

The University of California, Riverside is establishing a medical school that is scheduled to enroll its first four-year medical students in the fall of 2012.

California Baptist University initiated a new School of Nursing in the fall of 2006, and are rapidly expanding enrollment.

Riverside Community College has been expanding their Allied Health Sciences programs to produce additional graduates in the medical profession. Expanding programs include: dental hygiene, dental assisting, medical assisting, medical transcription, and physician assistant programs.

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