Chair Sanders, Ranking Member Cassidy Seek Information from Health Care Providers on Workforce Shortage

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), ranking member of the HELP Committee, requested input from health care providers and stakeholders on the root causes of the current health care workforce shortage and potential ways to address it. Using the input they receive, the senators hope to identify bipartisan solutions that can be included in future legislation.

On February 16th, the HELP Committee held a hearing entitled “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go From Here?” In his opening statement, Cassidy emphasized the importance of increasing educational opportunities for health care providers and other possible solutions that could help address the workforce shortage issue.

According to the American Hospital Association, the United States will face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033, and will need to hire 200,000 nurses per year to meet demand.

Read the full request here or below.

To Health Care Stakeholders:

On February 16, 2023, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, Pensions held a hearing “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go From Here?” The hearing aimed to understand the root causes of our current health care workforce shortages, and explore potential legislative solutions. During the hearing, we heard from the perspectives of medical and nursing colleges, a health system, and a health care economist.

Now the Committee would like to request input from all stakeholders to best understand your views on the drivers of health care workforce shortages and hear your ideas on potential solutions.

This year, we intend to identify bipartisan solutions to remedy our nation’s health care workforce shortages and develop these ideas into legislation.

Please submit your written response to [email protected] by March 20, 2023.