OPINION:
One of the biggest challenges facing our healthcare system is the shortage of qualified professionals. Across New York, hospitals, community health centers and medical practices are struggling to recruit and retain the nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, audiologists and other healthcare providers our communities rely on. In the Hudson Valley, where I represent, that means longer waiting times, higher costs and fewer options for patients trying to access care close to home.
Solving this problem starts with making sure we have enough qualified healthcare professionals, which is why I’ve made expanding our healthcare workforce a top priority in Congress.
Last December, I introduced the Professional Student Degree Act to permanently expand the federal definition of “professional degree.” My bill would ensure students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, audiology, social work, public health and other critical healthcare fields have access to the same federal student loan limits as students in other professional programs, like medical school. If we want more people entering these professions, we must make it possible for them to afford the education those careers require.
Just last month, we made important progress. On June 30, the Department of Education complied with a federal court order to expand its list of professional degree programs, restoring higher federal loan limits for thousands of future healthcare professionals. That decision followed months of sustained advocacy, including the legislation I introduced, bipartisan letters, formal comments and direct engagement with Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
My Professional Student Degree Act would permanently codify these protections into law, end the uncertainty for students once and for all and strengthen the pipeline of nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists and other critical healthcare professionals our communities need.
But a stronger workforce means nothing if providers don’t have the funding to hire them and keep the doors open. That’s why I fought for and secured a nine-month extension of New York’s Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax, directing more than $1.2 billion in federal Medicaid funding to hospitals and safety-net providers in New York. I also delivered more than $2 billion in long-overdue FEMA reimbursements for COVID-related healthcare costs, ensuring providers weren’t left footing the bill for services they delivered during the pandemic.
Together, these efforts have brought over $3.2 billion in targeted support to New York’s healthcare system. Core Medicaid and Medicare benefits for eligible recipients remain fully protected, while we pursue responsible reforms that bring accountability and long-term sustainability to our programs.
• Rep. Mike Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.
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