Bernie Sanders chairs Senate committee looking to fix the health worker shortage : Shots

Senators are eying the rising scarcity of well being care employees in america as one of many few issues the place there may be room for bipartisan options, even in a deeply divided Congress gearing up for a presidential election cycle.

The scarcity that is solely worsened for the reason that pandemic is a prescription for skyrocketing prices, struggling, and pointless dying, warned Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who’s the brand new chairman of the Senate’s prime well being committee. He spoke in his committee’s first listening to final week.

“We’re going to produce laws, and I believe individuals will likely be shocked in regards to the stage of bipartisan supporters,” Sanders mentioned in a quick interview throughout a break from the listening to. He known as for the committee to “produce one thing significant.”

The scarcity of well being care employees of all kinds is a widespread drawback, however is very acute in rural areas and minority communities. Sanders pointed to the startling numbers of Individuals dwelling in medical care deserts as an instance the purpose. There are practically 100 million individuals who haven’t got easy accessibility to a main care doctor, nearly 70 million with no dentist at hand, and a few 158 million individuals who have few native psychological well being suppliers, Sanders mentioned.

The COVID pandemic contributed to the nation’s current employee scarcity as many left the workforce because the disaster worsened. Some contracted the virus themselves, and huge numbers of well being care suppliers died. An investigation by KHN and The Guardian revealed greater than 3,600 well being employees in america died throughout the pandemic’s first yr alone. Many others received burnt out or sought higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

“Regardless of all of our well being care spending, we do not have sufficient docs, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, dental hygienists, pharmacists, psychological well being suppliers, and different medical professionals,” Sanders said, pointing to knowledge that recommend the nation faces a shortfall of about 450,000 nurses and 120,000 docs within the coming years, and 100,000 dentists now.

Whereas Democrats and Republicans alike acknowledged the shortages hobbling look after lots of of thousands and thousands of Individuals, any legislative answer should move not solely the Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee, but additionally the total Senate and Home of Representatives.

Far-right Home Republicans have threatened to go as far as forcing the federal authorities to default on its money owed as they demand spending cuts, and excessive authorities spending on well being care may make new laws a ripe goal.

Sen. Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, the committee’s prime Republican who can be a health care provider, cited a couple of packages the committee is accountable for updating this yr, similar to an expiring program that trains many of the nation’s pediatricians. He mentioned funding ought to mirror what works within the well being care system and are available “with the suitable spending offsets.”

“We now have to be sure that we’re not losing the cash we’re attempting to productively spend,” he mentioned.

Not one of the senators within the listening to disagreed with the elemental drawback that too many medical professionals are leaving their fields and that instructional establishments aren’t graduating sufficient new ones to switch them and meet the rising wants of an getting old inhabitants.

Members on either side of the aisle acknowledged rising ranges of burnout within the medical professions; elevated threats confronted by well being care employees; the prices and challenges of working underserved areas; and monetary incentives that steer youthful professionals towards extra profitable specialties and higher-income areas.

Senators agreed on some methods to spice up numbers of well being employees, similar to encouraging extra lower-cost instructional choices like neighborhood school and guaranteeing that current packages are prolonged this yr, such because the Nationwide Well being Service Corps that trains docs for underserved areas and graduate teaching programs.

A whiff of partisan considering drifted into the dialog, with some Republicans centered extra on decrying authorities interference in well being care. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, prompt the State Division ought to do a greater job clearing overseas college students and practitioners to immigrate right here. Cassidy raised digital well being data necessities as a contributor to doctor burnout, saying they devour an excessive amount of time.

Even in these areas, there have been indicators lawmakers may agree. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., additionally raised the thought of unjamming the immigrant backlog.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., mentioned vaccine necessities had been an obstacle. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., raised laws barring some shock medical payments as dangerous to docs.

“I believe the truth that the committee has made this the primary listening to means numerous us have payments. We might attempt to take a bunch of them up collectively and see if we will mix them into one thing,” mentioned Kaine, pointing specifically to the thought of increasing mortgage forgiveness for individuals prepared to enter areas with shortages. “I believe there’s nice prospects for bipartisan progress on this.”

Among the senators credited Sanders with the preliminary progress towards a compromise. He spent his first weeks in his publish assembly with committee members from each events to establish areas of bipartisan settlement.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, mentioned Sanders reached out to satisfy along with her and focus on her priorities. They each named workforce shortages as a prime challenge, she mentioned, including, “We have got great things to work on.”

“In my dialog with him simply on the ground this week, about what we’d be capable to do with the workforce challenge, I believe he was sort of probing to see if we may put collectively some efforts to only deal with these workforce shortages,” Murkowski informed KHN. “There may be quite a lot of curiosity in legislating on this area.”

“What it may appear to be, I can not let you know but,” she added.

“We’re going to produce laws,” Sanders mentioned because the listening to ended. “I do not do hearings for the sake of hearings.”

KHN (Kaiser Well being Information) is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points. Along with Coverage Evaluation and Polling, KHN is likely one of the three main working packages at KFF (Kaiser Household Basis). KFF is an endowed nonprofit group offering info on well being points to the nation.