Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Federal Government now pays for more than half of all health care costs in this country, and that number is likely to grow with the rapidly aging U.S. population. Indeed, Medicare will face a nearly \1/3\ enrollment increase in the coming decade. We have promised health care benefits to these seniors; to keep that promise, we must ensure there are enough physicians to treat them. Unfortunately, the medical workforce is shrinking: estimates show that we may experience a shortage of up to 159,000 physicians by 2025. In light of these sobering statistics, the government has a strong interest in doing more to encourage the training of physicians who can deliver quality care to our Nation's seniors. Even if we continue funding medical education at current levels, we will soon face a severe crisis in access to medical care. Cutting this medical education funding would be counter-intuitive at best; dangerous at worst. In recent years, however, there have been several proposals to do just that. It is true that there is a lack of transparency and accountability around this funding--mainly because we do not require hospitals to report on how money is spent, and because we have not set workforce goals for hospitals to meet. But that does not necessarily mean that the money is spent poorly, or that it is an area ripe for funding reductions.…”