Primary Care Volunteer Incentive Act

Floor Speech

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, America is facing a troubling physician shortage. It is estimated that the U.S. could be short 200,000 physicians by next year, while the number of patients is expected to increase by 24 percent. Furthermore, most medical school students incur more than $100,000 in student debt and primary care doctors are becoming scarce. New physicians are entering more lucrative specialties that better assist in their student debt payoff.

To join efforts that are underway across the country to address health care workforce shortages, today I will introduce the Primary Care Volunteer Incentive Act. This legislation will create a volunteer program for primary care physicians that will allow them to receive medical school loan repayment for their dedication to a community health center with high needs.

The Primary Care Volunteer Incentive Act will implement a program for doctors who specialize in family medicine, general pediatrics and general internal medicine. This program will request a five year volunteer commitment that will help doctors to develop a strong and longstanding relationship with their patients and communities. The program will build on the current National Health Service Corps program by allowing doctors to volunteer only part-time at a community health center in an area with a large primary care physician shortage.

This legislation is a vital step in closing the gaps that exist for medically disenfranchised Americans. Fifty-two percent of uninsured Americans do not have a primary care provider and at least two in five residents in Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah have inadequate access to routine health services. We know that lack of access to a primary care provider means that patients are not receiving preventive care, which helps people to lead healthier lives and keeps them out of emergency rooms for preventable and manageable conditions.

Too many of our neighbors are without basic care. Ensuring access and affordable health care should be our top priority. I have seen first hand the positive impact that access to community health care has given my district in the Tampa Bay area, and today my bill will help to see that communities will not continue to suffer losses in primary care providers that cannot be afforded.

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