Harry Reid: “Good morning Mr. President. I come to the floor today to offer two bills which are written to address the national…”

“Good morning Mr. President. I come to the floor today to offer two bills which are written to address the national shortage of geriatricians we are experiencing in this country. A problem I am sorry to say that is getting worse, not better. I am pleased to have as original cosponsors of my bills Senator Grassley, the distinguished Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and Senator Glenn, also a member of the Aging Committee, one for whom I have tremendous respect and regard. Our Nation is growing older. Today, life expectancy for women is 79, for men it is 73. While the population of the United States has tripled since 1900, the number of people age 65 or older has increased 11 times, to more than 33 million Americans. By 2030, this group is projected to double in size to nearly 70 million. Mr. President, I first became concerned about this problem when a read a report issued by the Alliance for Aging Research in May of 1996 entitled, ``Will you Still Treat Me When I'm 65?'' The report concluded that there are only 6,784 primary-care physicians certified in geriatrics. This number represents less than one percent of the total of 684,414 doctors in the United States. The report goes on to state that the United States should have at least 20,000 physicians with geriatric training to provide appropriate care for the current population, and as many as 36,000 geriatricians by the year 2030 when there will be close to 70 million older Americans.”