I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2332 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 7, 2009 Mr. McMahon (for himself, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. Connolly of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Peace Corps Act and the National and Community Service Trust Act to increase the affordability of medical education.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Future Physicians Serving America Act of 2009.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)A predicted shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2025 will affect all medical specialties. (2)An aging and growing population will increase demand on all health professionals. (3)Median debt of $155,000 for medical school graduates poses a significant hardship for new physicians and places a strain on the health care system. (4)Providing members of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps with support for medical education is consistent with the values of these programs and the United States. (5)Increasing medical school enrollment of members of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps will improve the supply, distribution, diversity, and quality of physicians in the health care workforce by— (A)providing low-income individuals with the opportunity to attend medical school at a lower cost; (B)lowering the overall cost of medical school and the debt burden of medical school graduates; (C)increasing the cultural diversity of medical schools and the physician workforce; and (D)increasing the number of physicians with a demonstrated interest in rural and inner city populations.

3.

Providing educational assistance to Peace Corps volunteers

(a)

Medical education assistance benefits

Section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (o)For each year of service, as defined under section 26(e), a volunteer who is accepted for enrollment, or enrolled, in a course of study or program at any accredited public or nonprofit private hospital, school of medicine or osteopathic medicine within the United States for the purpose of undergraduate medical education shall be granted tuition assistance for a maximum of two years. The President shall determine the amount of such assistance, to be not less than 50 percent but not more than 100 percent of the cost of such tuition incurred by such volunteer. . (b)

Use of funds

Section 15 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2514) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (e)Funds made available for the purposes of this Act may be used for tuition assistance in accordance with subsection (o) of section 5, if the volunteer described in such subsection is accepted for enrollment, or remains enrolled full-time in a course of study or program described in such subsection within three years of the completion of service by such volunteer. .

4.

Providing educational assistance to americorps volunteers

Section 147 of the National and Community Service Trust Act (42 U.S.C. 12603), as amended by the Serve America Act, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (f)

Amount for national service for individuals entering the study of medicine

(1)

Full-time volunteers

Except as provided in subsection (c), an individual described in section 146(a) who successfully completes a required term of full-time national service in an approved national service position and enters a course of study or program at any accredited public or nonprofit private hospital, school of medicine or osteopathic medicine within the United States for the purpose of undergraduate medical education shall receive a national service educational award having a value, for each of not more than 2 of such terms of service, equal to no less than 50 percent, nor to exceed 100 percent of the cost of tuition incurred by such individual. (2)

Part-time volunteers

Except as provided in subsection (c), an individual described in section 146(a) who successfully completes a required term of part-time national service in an approved national service position and enters a course of study or program at any accredited public or nonprofit private hospital, school of medicine or osteopathic medicine within the United States for the purpose of undergraduate medical education shall receive a national service educational award having a value, for each of not more than 2 of such terms of service, equal to 50 percent of value of the national service educational award determined under paragraph (1). .