The AAMC led an Aug. 19 community sign-on letter (PDF) addressed to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), as well as Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), urging the swift consideration and advancement of legislative proposals to reauthorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs, which are set to expire at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2025. The letter was sent on behalf of 67 national organizations representing schools, students, health professionals, and communities focused on building the health workforce.
In the letter, the organizations highlighted the importance of reauthorizing the Title VII and VIII programs to ensure continued support for a strong health care workforce, which in turn improves patients’ access to care and the health of the nation. The letter also referenced legislation that would reauthorize the programs for FY 2026 through 2030, including the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R. 4262), which would reauthorize HRSA programs related to health professions education, and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593/S. 1874), which would reauthorize the nursing workforce development programs.
The letter followed a July 15 statement from AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, expressing support for reauthorizing Title VII and VIII programs. The statement was released ahead of a July 16 House Energy and Commerce Committees Health Subcommittee legislative hearing, which considered legislation to reauthorize and expand the public health workforce, among other topics [refer to Washington Highlights, July 18].
- Washington Highlights