Support the Caring for An Aging American Act of 2008 (S.2708)
AMSA GERIATRICS
Support the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 (S.2708)
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The United States is facing an immediate and growing crisis in providing care for our aging population, which is projected to almost double from 37 million today to nearly 72 million by 2030. Health care providers with the necessary training to give older Americans the best possible care are in critically short supply. There is an urgent need to prepare physicians to better serve the increasing numbers of older adults. There is also a need to provide more incentives to attract and retain top practitioners into the field of geriatric care, which remains among the least well-compensated specialties.
Purpose
To attract and retain physicians dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older Americans by providing loan forgiveness and career advancement opportunities.
Background
The U.S. is rapidly aging, and the need for long-term care is growing. The first wave of baby boomers turns 65 in 2010.
· Those aged 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the older population and are the most in need of long-term care services. This age group is projected to double from 4.7 million in 2003 to 9.6 million in 2030, and to double again to 20.9 million in 2050.
· Most (82%) older adults have at least one chronic condition and about two-thirds (65%) have multiple chronic conditions, which complicates treatment and requires coordinated care.
Most health providers in the U.S. receive almost no formal training in the fields of geriatrics or gerontology, which undermines quality of care for America%u2019s seniors.
· 7,128 U.S. physicians are certified geriatricians today; 36,000 geriatricians are needed by 2030.
· Less than 3% of U.S. medical students opt to take an elective in geriatrics.
Overview of the Legislation
The bill directly addresses the emerging care gap between the dramatically increasing numbers of older Americans and the serious lack of providers who are trained in caring for the medical, health and social support needs of the aging population.
The bill utilizes and builds on established mechanisms under the Public Health Service Act and administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Build a cadre of health professionals trained in the care of older adults by linking educational loan repayment to a service commitment to the aging population
· Establishes the Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program for physicians, physician assistants, advance practice nurses, psychologists and social workers who complete specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology and who agree to provide full-time clinical practice and service to older adults for a minimum of two years.
o The program will utilize the loan repayment mechanism under the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). It will award payments of up to $35,000 a year during the first two years of practice. Participants may be eligible to work a third or fourth year and receive loan payments of up to an additional $40,000 per year.
We, the undersigned physicians-in-training, call on the U.S. Senate and House of Representative to pass the comprehensive Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 that would prepare physicians with the necessary training to meet the medical and health needs of older adults by providing loan forgiveness opportunities.
AMSA GERIATRICS
Support the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 (S.2708)
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The United States is facing an immediate and growing crisis in providing care for our aging population, which is projected to almost double from 37 million today to nearly 72 million by 2030. Health care providers with the necessary training to give older Americans the best possible care are in critically short supply. There is an urgent need to prepare physicians to better serve the increasing numbers of older adults. There is also a need to provide more incentives to attract and retain top practitioners into the field of geriatric care, which remains among the least well-compensated specialties.
Purpose
To attract and retain physicians dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older Americans by providing loan forgiveness and career advancement opportunities.
Background
The U.S. is rapidly aging, and the need for long-term care is growing. The first wave of baby boomers turns 65 in 2010.
· Those aged 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the older population and are the most in need of long-term care services. This age group is projected to double from 4.7 million in 2003 to 9.6 million in 2030, and to double again to 20.9 million in 2050.
· Most (82%) older adults have at least one chronic condition and about two-thirds (65%) have multiple chronic conditions, which complicates treatment and requires coordinated care.
Most health providers in the U.S. receive almost no formal training in the fields of geriatrics or gerontology, which undermines quality of care for America%u2019s seniors.
· 7,128 U.S. physicians are certified geriatricians today; 36,000 geriatricians are needed by 2030.
· Less than 3% of U.S. medical students opt to take an elective in geriatrics.
Overview of the Legislation
The bill directly addresses the emerging care gap between the dramatically increasing numbers of older Americans and the serious lack of providers who are trained in caring for the medical, health and social support needs of the aging population.
The bill utilizes and builds on established mechanisms under the Public Health Service Act and administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Build a cadre of health professionals trained in the care of older adults by linking educational loan repayment to a service commitment to the aging population
· Establishes the Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program for physicians, physician assistants, advance practice nurses, psychologists and social workers who complete specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology and who agree to provide full-time clinical practice and service to older adults for a minimum of two years.
o The program will utilize the loan repayment mechanism under the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). It will award payments of up to $35,000 a year during the first two years of practice. Participants may be eligible to work a third or fourth year and receive loan payments of up to an additional $40,000 per year.
We, the undersigned physicians-in-training, call on the U.S. Senate and House of Representative to pass the comprehensive Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 that would prepare physicians with the necessary training to meet the medical and health needs of older adults by providing loan forgiveness opportunities.
As an emerging nurse practitioner with a critical care background, I have had the opportunity to see first hand the desperate situation occurring. Many of the aging have multiple healthcare providers, cardiologists, nephrologists, internal med., and pulmonologists to name a few, and each provider has a specific plan of treatment, without regards to the other specialists on board. By supporting the need for geriatric practitioners, the aging can get the specialized care they require in one package. Just as children are not small adults, the elderly are not Big adults, both populations have special needs.
I am a gerontology major, and at this time also do volunteer work with the elderly. Having the bill approved will no doubt not only increase the interest in geriatric and gerontology, but give the opportunity for those who truly care about the elderly to educate themselves to work with them. Hopefully doctors will take advantage of this opportunity to understand and assist some of the most interesting people alive.
For more impact, add a personal comment here
By 2030, it is expected that the population 65 and older will exceed 70,000,000, almost twice the number of these individuals in the year 2000. My role as a social worker in the effort to advocate for individuals and groups with important and specific needs is becoming increasingly challenging as we approach a critical time for our growing elderly population. This bill will create a tremendous increase in attention to the seriousness of necessary specialty training and focus in the area of geriatrics amongst all health care providers. In addition, it will provide the incentive and adequate relief to health care professionals and those seeking a profession in health care to obtain specialty training focused on the care of the elderly in order to prepare our country for this social issue. It must be addressed now.
i have chosen to write a policy paper on this proposed policy. i am a MSW student at the university of illinois at Chicago and will be sending my paper to my local representatives.
As a second-year graduate student in the Social Work program, this piece of legislation is extremely important to me. As one of the "boomer" cohort, I decided to seek a higher education and chose a field most likely to involve working with the older population. Unfortunately, as a graduate student at CalState San Bernardino, I have not been able to follow a gerontology curriculum, few courses are offered at this campus. However, when this legislation passes both Houses, loan forgiveness will open opportunities for me and others to seek the speciality training so needed to assist the growing population of America's treasures.
The geriatric population is growing in number with the aging of the baby boom generation. This wonderful population needs adequate medical assistance and care. In order to make this work, we are in need of more healthcare professionals and this petition will help solve this need.
As an aspiring geropsychologist this is a move that would help this career more attainable for others and myself.
This bill will help attract new professionals graduating from college in many different professions and steer students towards geriatrics. There is a huge need for professionals in the geriatric field. We, as a society, need this to pass in congress.
We need to attract and retain physicians dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older Americans by providing loan forgiveness and career advancement opportunities! This is important to the future of our country, our elder population and those who serve them.
This bill is desperately needed to help students be able to make a living wage when they graduate from school. Many students come out of college with 30,000.00 in student loans and only earn 25-28 thousand dollars a year at their positions after graduation. Workers are needed in this growing field because of the 77 million baby boomers who are going to need services in the upcoming years. Let's make it easier to attract students to the gerontology field and then let's help keep them by assisting them with tuition reimbursement. Thank you for your time and attention to this very important matter.
As a Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist, I encourage support for S.2708. I would love to get a teaching credential to teach the practice that I know so well. However, there isn't funding for nurses to advance in gerontology at this time. Please help the nurses who are included in this bill. Thank you.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and am employed in a local hospital here in Tulsa. My title is Social Work Case Manager and I work primarily with the geriatric population. I too accumulated a signifigant amount of dept in graduate school and unfortunately, as a Social Worker, do not make enough to comfortably afford my loan payments however I do still pay on time each month. My salary would not be as much of an issue if I did not have to make my loan payment each month. Please pass this much needed bill because the aging population is in great need of more comprehensive services.
I am an up an coming geriatric nurse practitioner. I have choosen this profession due to the reasons listed above. I have acquired a significant amount of debt due to the lack of graduate funding specifically for nurse practitioner students. I would love to remain in geriatrics and with this act in effect I will be able to continue in this field regardless of the pay due to the fact that I may not have a loan repayment. Please allow this possible so that more students will pick this population.
Please support this bill.
MY HUSBAND IS 79 AND I AM 69. FINDING HEALTHCARE TO HANDLE OUR MULTIPLE CONDITIONS ALONG WITH THE MEDICATIONS PRECRIBED FOR THEM IS MOST DEFINITELY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO ACQUIRE. THERE IS NOT COORDINATION, AND FURTHERMORE, VERY LITTLE INTEREST IN CARING FOR OLDER ADULTS BY MEDICAL PRACTIONERS TODAY. MANY PHYSICIANS FEEL THEY ARE NOT ADEQUATELY COMPENSATED BY MEDICARE.
Those of us who are called "senior citizen" have just as much right to health care as those of you who are younger. We worked to build this system for everyone...don't let us down now.
What kind of Nation can we claim to be when we won't even help those who have built it??
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5:38 pm PDT, May 2,
Gale Weaner, Texas
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JUST WHO IS SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR THE ELDERLY--MOST DRS. DON'T EVEN WANT TO NOW BECAUSE OF MEDICARE LACK OF PAYMENT?????
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