S. 1659 · 116th Congress
Ensuring Children’s Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019
- Stage
- In committee
- Sponsor
- Roy Blunt
- Introduced
- 2019-05-23
- Latest action
- 2019-05-23 · Introduced in Senate
Summary
Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019
This bill expands the scope of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to include pediatric subspecialists, including psychiatrists. Currently, the NHSC provides scholarships and student loan repayment awards to primary care, dental care, and mental health care providers who agree to work in areas that face a shortage of these types of providers.
In addition, the bill provides that an underserved population of children and adolescents may be designated as a health professional shortage area. (This designation confers eligibility for, and priority preferences with respect to, NHSC placements, grants, and other activities to address shortages of health care professionals.)