Thompson Opening Statement at Health Subcommittee Hearing on Advancing the Next Generation of America’s Health Care Workforce
(As prepared for delivery)
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here.
Mr. Chairman, once again, my Republican colleagues would rather talk about anything but the fact that they have eliminated healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.
If Americans can’t get coverage, they can’t afford their health care.
But as we know, people will keep getting sick or injured, driving more Americans into debt and hurting hospitals.
Hospitals will see their uncompensated care costs rise.
In H.R. 1 – the Big Ugly Bill, Congressional Republicans cut $1 trillion from Medicaid.
They also failed to extend premium tax credits that help millions of Americans afford their insurance coverage.
They kicked 15 million people off their insurance so they could give their billionaire donors a tax break and, it should be noted, add over $4 trillion to the national debt.
Because of these cuts, hospitals are being forced to reduce services or close altogether.
Every health system will suffer because of Congressional Republicans’ healthcare cuts, and rural and underserved areas will bear the brunt of these cuts and closures.
We are supposedly here to talk about the future of the health care workforce.
Who’s going to train future rural physicians and health care providers with a trillion dollar hole in our healthcare system?
My Republican colleagues are ignoring the warning of healthcare providers about the impact their policies have on hospitals and healthcare systems in their districts.
Congressional Republicans’ Big Ugly Law also made it so that future health care practitioners can’t afford their education.
They capped the amount a student can borrow at $200,000.
But the median cost of a public medical school in 2024 was nearly $300,000.
And private medical schools cost even more.
Students aren’t going to be able to pay for their education, so they either won’t become doctors, or they will have even more debt.
We know that doctors with less medical debt are more likely to practice in underserved areas.
We also know that doctors in less debt contribute even more to our local economy.
This borrowing cap hurts health access for the rural and underserved populations Congressional Republicans claim they want to improve.
The Trump Administration is also threatening the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
40 percent of physicians use this forgiveness program to help pay off their loans.
Sadly, the Trump Administration is targeting health care facilities whose care policies they disagree with by making their physicians ineligible for the program.
We should make it easier for students to afford their medical education, so we can grow our pool of talented doctors.
We should grow the number of doctors training across our country, like the legislation Congresswoman Sewell introduced, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act.
And we should expand funding for training at children’s hospitals.
Instead, Congressional Republicans are making it so only the wealthy can pay for medical school.
I invite my Republican colleagues to join us in working to make health care accessible for all Americans, not just the rich.
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