Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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By Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE):

S. 1174. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act to increase the number of primary care physicians and primary care providers and to improve patient access to primary care services, and for other services; to the Committee on Finance.

Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act of 2009, together with my colleagues from Maine, Senator Susan Collins, and from Rhode Island, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. As we set about the urgently important business of health care reform, we will be hearing a lot about the uninsured. But there is another urgent problem in our health care system: the underserved. We must address both problems as we set about reforming the health care system.

It does you little good to have health care insurance if the nearest primary care physician is hundreds of miles away.

This bipartisan proposal sets out a multifaceted approach to supporting and expanding our primary care workforce as well as enhancing the coordination of care within our health care system. I am grateful for the input and collaboration of key health-care stakeholders in Washington state that has helped make this legislation possible. In my state, we know it is possible to both increase health care quality while also lowering costs, all within an integrated system that places a priority on expanding our primary care workforce and protecting patients' relationships with their doctors.

A dramatic increase in the primary care physician workforce will be needed. My legislation not only addresses the needs of those individuals to whom health insurance coverage will be extended but also of those who are currently insured but who live in areas underserved by our current health care system.

I believe 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, particularly in rural areas. As more Americans gain health care coverage, the experts estimate there will be a shortage of 46,000 primary care physicians available to care for the influx of patients by the year 2025. As the need grows, the number of medical students choosing primary care is rapidly dwindling.

Detailed studies from the Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth and the Commonwealth Fund found that populations with ready access to primary care physicians realize improved health outcomes, reduced mortality, lower utilization of health care resources, and lower overall costs of care. Yet despite what we know, all across this country, we are failing to realize the benefits of primary care and a system of having a primary care physician coordinate a patient's health care needs. This bill includes several key provisions aimed at achieving a high quality, more comprehensive integrated health system.

Specific provisions include: scholarship and loan repayment opportunities for primary care providers who serve in areas with critical shortages of primary care services. New residency positions for primary care with a focus on more opportunities to train in ambulatory care settings--including community in health centers. Increased reimbursements for primary care providers. Medicare payments for care coordination services, and bonus payments to providers who serve as integrated patient-centered medical homes. Improved access to primary care for seniors by eliminating copayments for preventives care services in Medicare.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure we make the necessary investments in our primary care workforce. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and letters of support be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record

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