New Sanders bill to address nation’s shortage of health care workers
WCAX
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says a new bipartisan bill will help address the nation’s shortage of health care professionals.
Vermont’s senior senator says an agreement was reached on a bill currently in the Sanders-led Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
It would provide more than $26 billion to expand primary care and address the workforce shortage. The bulk of the money would go to community health centers, while billions more would be spent on grants for schools to increase the number of students getting into the medical field.
Sanders says it would be paid for by savings from a number of provisions, including reducing waste and fraud in the health care system.
“It is unacceptable that millions of Americans throughout our country do not have access to affordable, high-quality primary care and are unable to get the health care they need when they need it. Every major medical organization understands that our investment in primary care is woefully inadequate,” Sanders, I-Vermont, said in a statement.