The American Geriatrics Society - News - American Geriatrics Society Hails Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Ros-Lehtinen for Proposing the "Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act" Key Bill Would Help Address Growing, Nationwide Shortage of Healthcare Professionals Trained to Meet the Unique Healthcare Needs of Older Americans

For Immediate Release
March 12, 2009

For Further Information
Erin Weller
eweller@americangeriatrics.org

American Geriatrics Society Hails Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Ros-Lehtinen for Proposing the "Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act"

Key Bill Would Help Address Growing, Nationwide Shortage of Healthcare Professionals Trained to Meet the Unique Healthcare Needs of Older Americans

New York, NY -- The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) applauds Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) for introducing the "Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act" today. This key legislation will help address the acute and growing nationwide shortage of geriatricians and other geriatrics healthcare providers in the U.S. by enabling healthcare professionals pursuing advanced training in geriatrics to participate in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

With the eldest of the nation's baby boomers reaching retirement age in just two years, the number of Americans 65 and older will nearly double, to 77 million, by 2030. Yet the number of geriatricians -- physicians with advanced training that prepares them to meet the unique healthcare needs of older adults - is expected to remain flat, at roughly 7,500, over the next two decades - unless steps are taken, now, to address disincentives to entering and remaining in the field. Other geriatrics healthcare professionals, including geriatric psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists are also in increasingly short supply.

In its groundbreaking 2008 report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that the nation's elder healthcare workforce is too small and too unprepared to meet the healthcare needs of the rapidly growing number of older Americans.

Just as children's healthcare needs differ from those of adults, older people's healthcare needs differ from those of younger adults. The average 75-year-old, for example, has three chronic health problems and takes five prescription medications.

Despite growing demand, there are significant disincentives to pursuing and continuing careers as geriatrics healthcare providers. Geriatrics is one of the lowest paying medical specialties in the U.S. For new medical school graduates, who typically finish medical school with nearly $150,000 in student loan debt, low compensation is a leading disincentive to entering the field.

Reps. DeLauro and Ros-Lehtinen's legislation would help address this by enabling those pursuing specialized training in geriatrics to participate in the existing National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. This program currently forgives up to $25,000 on behalf of an individual for the first two years of obligated service.

"With the first of the baby boomers on the brink of retirement, we need to address the acute and worsening shortage of geriatricians and other geriatrics healthcare professionals without delay," says John B. Murphy, MD, AGS President and professor of medicine and family medicine at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School, and Chief Physician Officer at Rhode Island Hospital. "It's imperative that this shortage be addressed in efforts to reform our nation's healthcare system. The Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act can help address a significant disincentive to pursuing careers in geriatrics. We at the American Geriatrics Society thank Reps. DeLauro and Ros-Lehtinen for proposing this thoughtful, timely legislation."

In addition to AGS, this legislation is supported by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatrists.

ABOUT THE AGS

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research, and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,500 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies, and practices in geriatric medicine.