Easing the national shortage of health care workers will require relief for student loans, more money for research and training, and eliminating COVID vaccine mandates, experts recently told a U.S. Senate subcommittee.
"There is no doubt that during the pandemic, health care workers have worked tirelessly on the front lines and faced, in many circumstances, unimaginable challenges," Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-CO, said during the subcommittee hearing last Thursday. "However, the critical needs of the health care workforce were here before and will extend well beyond COVID unless we act."
A recent study projects a shortage of 124,00 doctors by 2034, up to 48,000 of which are primary care doctors.
"If we're going to make a dent in these daunting estimates, we need to get started now," said Hickenlooper, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions' Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety.
The study, from the Association of American Medical Colleges, found that the primary drivers of the health care workforce shortage will be population growth, including a projected 42.4% increase in adults over the age of 65, which increases demand in specialties that mainly care for older people. Also, more than 40% of doctors will reach traditional retirement age in the next decade.
