Healthcare (Healthcare Workforce) in United States

in committee · United States · Senate Mar 19, 2026

S 1380: SPARC Act

The SPARC Act creates a federal loan repayment program to address specialty healthcare shortages in rural areas. It provides up to $250,000 in repayment for specialty physicians (non-primary care doctors) and non-physician providers (like nurse practitioners) who commit to six years of full-time work in underserved rural communities. Eligible loans include federal education debts like Stafford and Perkins loans, with participants required to serve in designated shortage areas to receive benefits. The program prevents double-benefits with other federal loan forgiveness programs and requires annual reporting on program impact through 2033.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Primary Care

in committee · United States · House May 5, 2025

HR 3178: Save Healthcare Workers Act

HR 3178, the Save Healthcare Workers Act, creates a new federal crime for assaulting hospital staff while they are performing their duties, with penalties including fines and up to 10 years in prison (up to 20 years for aggravated cases involving weapons or injuries). The bill directly affects hospital employees - including nurses, doctors, and support staff - across all covered facilities (such as emergency rooms, long-term care centers, and children’s hospitals) by criminalizing violence that disrupts patient care. It also establishes a $25 million annual grant program (2025-2034) to help hospitals implement safety measures like staff de-escalation training, security technology, and coordination with local law enforcement. These provisions aim to address workplace violence in healthcare settings, which the bill cites as a growing problem affecting service delivery and staff retention.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Corrections Law Enforcement Healthcare Workforce Hospitals Long-Term Care

in committee · United States · Senate Feb 12, 2026

S 3886: Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act

This bill establishes minimum nurse staffing requirements for nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid. It requires facilities to provide 24-hour registered nurse coverage (transitioning from 8-hour daily coverage within 180 days of enactment) and maintain a minimum of 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident daily. The bill mandates a study every four years to review staffing standards based on resident needs and safety data, with findings informing future regulations. Additionally, it directs states to use a portion of collected civil penalties to fund workforce programs like student loan repayment and career pathway development for nursing home staff.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Long-Term Care Medicaid

in committee · United States · House Jan 30, 2026

HR 7279: Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026

HR 7279, the Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026, creates a federal program to address nurse faculty shortages by covering the pay gap between nursing faculty salaries and clinical nursing salaries. It authorizes $15 million annually (2027-2031) for nursing schools to supplement faculty salaries for up to three years, targeting faculty who previously worked in clinical practice or are new hires. Schools must submit detailed salary data comparing clinical nurse pay to faculty pay and demonstrate plans to sustain funding after the grant period. The program prioritizes schools in health professional shortage areas, serving vulnerable populations, or focusing on underrepresented faculty, with a report due to Congress within three years of enactment.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce

in committee · United States · House May 29, 2025

HR 3636: To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the process by which the Secretary of Defense verifies that health care professionals of the military departments are appropriately licensed.

HR 3636 requires the Secretary of Defense to create a centralized system for verifying the licenses of military health-care professionals. This system allows commanding officers at any Department of Defense health facility to quickly check a professional's license - regardless of the facility's location or the professional's military branch. The bill mandates that at least 90% of license verifications must be completed within seven days for professionals without adverse licensing records. This change aims to ensure all military health-care providers meet licensing standards efficiently.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing Tags Licensing

in committee · United States · Senate Sep 15, 2025

S 2800: Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act

This bill expands Medicare coverage to include certain pharmacist services in medically underserved areas. It allows pharmacists licensed in their state to provide services that would otherwise be covered if done by a physician (like medication management), specifically in health professional shortage areas or medically underserved regions. Medicare would pay 80% of the physician fee schedule rate for these services, starting January 1, 2027. The bill requires the development of new billing codes for pharmacists under Medicare's physician fee schedule. It directly affects pharmacists working in designated underserved communities and Medicare beneficiaries there.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medicare Prescription Drugs

in committee · United States · Senate Jul 24, 2025

S 2439: Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 adds 14,000 new residency training positions over seven years (2027-2033), distributing 2,000 annually through a structured application process. It directly affects hospitals applying for these positions, requiring them to commit to filling the new spots and prioritizing rural hospitals, those serving health shortage areas, and hospitals affiliated with historically Black medical schools. Key mechanisms include seven annual application rounds, rules for carrying over unused positions, and minimum distribution quotas (e.g., 10% to rural hospitals). The bill also mandates a study on increasing diversity in the health workforce, with a report due to Congress within two years.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Hospitals Medical Licensing

in committee · United States · House Jun 17, 2025

HRES 522: Recognizing that Adriana Smith and her family's prolonged ordeal without their consent is the direct result of the Black maternal health crisis, the danger of laws that give rights to fetuses and take them away from pregnant people, and anti-abortion laws that continue to harm people who can become pregnant.

HRES 522 is a congressional resolution recognizing Adriana Smith, a Black nurse who became brain dead at 9 weeks pregnant, as a case directly resulting from systemic issues in maternal healthcare and restrictive abortion laws. It specifically condemns laws that grant legal rights to fetuses while stripping pregnant people of medical autonomy, and highlights how Georgia’s anti-abortion laws (like the LIFE Act) create dangerous uncertainty for medical decisions. The resolution urges states to repeal abortion bans, protect advance directives for pregnant patients, and clarify that medical care must prioritize the health of the pregnant person. It does not create new law but calls for policy changes to prevent similar cases where families are denied consent over life support decisions. The resolution focuses on the intersection of racial disparities in maternal care, fetal rights legislation, and the chilling effect of vague anti-abortion laws on healthcare access.

Topics ✗ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Women's Health

in committee · United States · Senate Mar 12, 2025

S 975: Expanding Medical Education Act

The Expanding Medical Education Act provides federal grants to establish or expand medical and osteopathic medicine schools in underserved areas, directly benefiting institutions in medically underserved communities or health professional shortage areas. It prioritizes new schools in regions without existing medical schools, especially minority-serving institutions, and requires grantees to recruit students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, rural/underserved areas, low-income backgrounds, and first-generation college students. Funds can also support curriculum development for underserved care, infrastructure improvements, faculty hiring, and accreditation efforts. The bill mandates annual reports from grantees and detailed five-year evaluations to Congress on student demographics, workforce impacts, and healthcare access outcomes.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing

in committee · United States · House Sep 10, 2025

HR 5283: Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HR 5283) increases U.S. immigration visas for healthcare workers by recapturing unused employment-based visas from 1992-2024. It directly affects foreign nurses and physicians who filed petitions before 2027 (three years after enactment), reserving 25,000 visas for nurses and 15,000 for physicians. Key provisions include exempting these visas from country caps, requiring labor attestations to ensure no U.S. worker displacement, and establishing fee-free premium processing for applications. The bill aims to address healthcare staffing shortages by making these visas immediately available to qualifying professionals and their families.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Immigration

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Insurance

All healthcare bills