[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H2763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CRITICAL CONDITION: THE STATE OF THE UNION'S HEALTH CARE, 2006

  (Mr. MURPHY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, a couple weeks ago, I provided for Members 
of Congress this document: ``Critical Condition: The State of the 
Union's Health Care, 2006,'' put out by my office. In that we outlined 
many programs that would help reduce costs of health care in America.
  Let me expand on one of them about Community Health Centers, which 
are nonprofit centers to provide primary and preventative care for 
folks who are low income or who are uninsured and underinsured. 
However, a recent report by the Journal of the American Medical 
Association said that although these clinics are of tremendous value, 
there is a shortage of medical personnel at them. A study published by 
Dr. Roger Rosenblatt of the University of Washington says that there is 
a 13 percent shortage of family physicians, a 20 percent shortage of 
obstetricians, and a 22.5 percent shortage of psychiatrists for these 
positions.
  Oddly enough, if a physician is employed by a Community Health 
Center, they are covered by the Federal liability, but if someone wants 
to volunteer at a clinic, they are not.
  It is important that we provide mechanisms to allow physicians and 
other medical personnel to volunteer at these clinics. America needs 
that. The uninsured and underinsured need that, and, quite frankly, it 
would save a tremendous amount of money.
  People can receive further information on my Web site, 
murphy.house.gov.




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