Healthcare (Healthcare Workforce)

in committee · United States · House Feb 3, 2026

HR 7324: More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026

This bill expands Medicare incentives to increase mental health and substance use disorder care in underserved areas. It adds a 15% bonus payment to Medicare for specific mental health and substance use services provided by qualified non-physician providers (like clinical social workers, psychologists, and counselors) in designated "mental health professional shortage areas." The bonus applies to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027, directly benefiting Medicare beneficiaries in these areas and encouraging more providers to work there. The change modifies existing Medicare payment rules to include these new provider types and service categories.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands Medicare incentives for mental health providers in underserved areas, increasing access and funding for behavioral health services through 15% bonus payments.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medicare Mental Health

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in committee · United States · Senate Jul 30, 2025

S 635: Veterans Homecare Choice Act of 2025

This bill expands access to home healthcare for veterans by including nurse registries in the Veterans Community Care Program. It directly affects veterans seeking homecare services and healthcare workers like registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, and home health aides placed through these registries. The key change adds specific definitions to recognize "nurse registries" that connect veterans with these care providers, ensuring such registries meet state licensing requirements. This allows veterans to access a broader range of homecare support through existing program pathways.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands home healthcare access for veterans via nurse registries in Community Care Program, improving patient access to services.90% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly expands veterans' home healthcare access by including nurse registries in the Veterans Community Care Program, improving service availability and meeting state licensing requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing Veteran Employment Veteran Healthcare Veteran Housing

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in committee · United States · Senate Mar 19, 2026

S 547: Train More Nurses Act

This bill requires the Health and Human Services and Labor Secretaries to review all federal grant programs supporting nurses and submit a report to Congress within one year. The report must include recommendations to improve three specific goals: increasing nursing faculty (especially in areas with nurse shortages), creating career advancement routes for experienced nurses to become faculty, and expanding pathways for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to become registered nurses (RNs). It directly affects nursing education programs and the nursing workforce by focusing on strengthening the pipeline to address shortages. The bill itself does not fund new programs but sets up a review process to inform future policy changes.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill targets nursing education improvements including faculty development and LPN to RN pathways, supporting higher education in healthcare fields.80% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill directly addresses nurse workforce shortages through faculty expansion, career pathways, and LPN-to-RN transitions, strengthening healthcare delivery capacity and access.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands nursing career pathways and faculty development, strengthening workforce training and advancement opportunities under Labor & Employment.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health Healthcare Workforce

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in committee · United States · House Sep 16, 2025

HR 5375: Essential Skills and Child Care for Health Professions Act

This bill requires new demonstration projects for health care training programs to provide foundational skills education and affordable child care support. It mandates assessments of adult basic skills, partner networks for pre-training support, and embedded skill maintenance during training. Participants must receive guaranteed child care access through referrals, direct payments to providers, or coverage of fees. The policy affects lower-skilled individuals entering health professions training and takes effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates child care support and foundational skills for health training, enabling lower-skilled individuals to enter healthcare careers, thus strengthening workforce capacity and access.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates affordable child care access for health care training participants, removing a key barrier to workforce entry and supporting employment standards for lower-skilled workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Apprenticeships Workforce Development

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in committee · United States · House May 7, 2025

HR 3262: NURSE Act

HR 3262, the NURSE Act, creates a federal grant program to help schools hire more registered school nurses, primarily targeting public elementary and secondary schools serving high-need communities. The bill prioritizes schools where at least 20% of students qualify for free/reduced-price lunches (indicating high poverty) or lack any nurse, with federal funds covering up to 75% of costs for hiring nurses. Eligible schools or consortia must demonstrate student health needs, such as chronic conditions or mental health support, and the program requires a report to Congress evaluating impacts on nurse staffing and student health outcomes. The grant program is authorized for fiscal years 2026-2030, aiming to address the current shortage where one-third of schools lack a school nurse.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates federal grants to fund school nurse hiring, increasing public service funding through government spending.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates federal grants to fund school nurse hiring in high-need K-12 schools, directly advancing student health access and educational support through targeted funding.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds school nurse hiring in high-need schools, expanding access to health services for students, directly aligning with healthcare funding and access indicators.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentFunds hiring of school nurses in high-need schools, directly supporting employment opportunities in healthcare sector through federal grants.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Safety Student Health Healthcare Workforce Mental Health

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in committee · United States · Senate May 5, 2025

S 1599: Midwives for MOMS Act of 2025

This bill creates federal grant programs to expand midwifery education and workforce capacity. It allocates $15 million annually (2025-2029) for accredited midwifery schools to support students, expand programs, and increase clinical mentors, with 50% of funds for student support. It also allocates $20 million annually for nurse-midwifery programs in schools of nursing, with similar funding splits and requirements to prioritize underserved areas and racial/ethnic minority representation. The bill specifically excludes midwifery programs within nursing schools from funding and sets clear allocation rules for the grants.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationFunds midwifery education programs in higher education institutions with targeted student support and underserved area focus, directly advancing educational access and workforce development in nursing.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates $35M annually for midwifery education/workforce expansion, prioritizing underserved areas and minority representation, directly increasing healthcare access and funding for medical professionals.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentFunds midwifery education/workforce development, expanding employment opportunities and prioritizing underserved communities per bill's grant allocations.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Women's Health

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in committee · United States · House Jan 15, 2026

HR 7106: Enhancing Skilled Nursing Facilities Act

HR 7106, the Enhancing Skilled Nursing Facilities Act, modifies Medicare and Medicaid rules to expand which healthcare providers can deliver services in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) without direct physician supervision. The bill updates existing law to allow nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and clinical nurse specialists (working under state law) to perform roles previously restricted to physicians, such as certifying care, supervising residents, and maintaining clinical records. This directly affects SNFs, Medicaid/Medicare providers, and state licensing authorities, as it changes certification and supervision requirements for facility services. The key mechanism is replacing "physician" with broader provider categories in multiple sections of the Social Security Act, while requiring compliance with state practice laws.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows nurse practitioners and PAs to provide services without physician supervision in SNFs, expanding provider access under Medicare/Medicaid rules.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Long-Term Care Medical Licensing

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in committee · United States · Senate Jul 30, 2025

S 1245: Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025

The Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025 improves support for veterans who experienced military sexual trauma by reforming how disability claims are processed and expanding access to care. It establishes specialized teams to review claims, changes evidence standards to include non-military sources like counseling records, and requires VA communications to include trauma resources. The bill expands eligibility for counseling and treatment to all former reserve members, ensures veterans get connected to health care services when submitting claims, and provides care options for those who withdraw from service academies. It also mandates annual accuracy reviews of claim processing and requires improved training for VA staff handling these cases.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands mental health access via counseling eligibility for veterans and streamlines disability claims processing, directly advancing healthcare services for trauma survivors.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransExpands counseling access for all reserve veterans, reforms disability claims, changes evidence standards, and requires trauma resources - directly advancing veterans' healthcare and benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Mental Health Veteran Benefits Veteran Healthcare Veteran Mental Health

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in committee · United States · Senate May 19, 2025

S 1805: Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act

Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill allows a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands Medicare coverage access by allowing NPs/PAs to certify diabetic shoe prescriptions, removing physician-only barrier and improving patient access to essential medical equipment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medicare

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in committee · United States · Senate Mar 13, 2025

S 1044: Physicians for Underserved Areas Act

This bill amends Medicare's residency slot redistribution rules when hospitals close. It changes the criteria hospitals must meet to qualify for redistributed residency positions, requiring them to demonstrate a likelihood of both starting to use the positions within 2 years and filling them within 5 years. The change applies only to hospitals closing on or after the bill's enactment date. It does not create new physician programs or funding, but modifies how existing Medicare residency slots are allocated to better target underserved areas.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareModifies Medicare residency rules to ensure slots in underserved areas are filled, improving physician access in critical regions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Hospitals Medical Licensing

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