I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1457 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 12, 2009 Ms. DeLauro (for herself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. McGovern, and Mr. Klein of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to deem certain geriatric health training to be obligated service for purposes of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act of 2009.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)Between 2005 and 2030, it is estimated that the number of adults aged 65 and older will almost double from 37,000,000 to more than 70,000,000, increasing from 12 percent of the population of the United States to almost 20 percent of the population. (2)The number of the oldest old, those who are 85 and over, is also expected to nearly double, from 5,000,000 to 9,000,000 between 2005 and 2030. (3)These oldest old adults have the highest per capita utilization of health care services, and their conditions are often complex with multiple co-morbidities. (4)The Institute of Medicine’s 2008 report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, emphasized that, because of the increasing numbers of frail older adults, there is an increasing need for geriatric specialist care and for geriatric specialists to train the entire health care workforce in geriatric principles. (5)Shortages in many health care professions are apparent already in the United States. Shortages of geriatric specialists are even more severe, with a decline in the number of geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists, and inadequate numbers of geriatric social workers, nurses, psychologists, and other health care professionals with geriatric expertise. (6)There are numerous barriers for health care professionals interested in entering geriatric specialties, including the time required for additional training and financial disincentives.

3.

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program

(a)

In general

Section 338C of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254m) is amended by adding at the end the following: (e)

Obligated service

(1)

In general

For purposes of the Loan Repayment Program under section 338B, each year during which an individual is enrolled and participating in an accredited (as determined by the Secretary) educational program that provides geriatric health training shall be deemed to be a year of obligated service. Upon the completion of such training, an individual with respect to whom a year of training is deemed to be a year of obligated service under this paragraph shall, after consultation with the Secretary, provide geriatric health services during the remainder of such individual’s period of obligated service. (2)

Limitation

The number of individuals for whom geriatric health training is deemed to be obligated service under this subsection shall not exceed 500 in any year. . (b)

Effective date

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply only to applications submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.