AAMC - Association of American Medical Colleges
07/22/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/23/2026 14:54
AAMC Statement on Senate HELP Committee Markup of Health Care Legislation
- Press Release
AAMC Statement on Senate HELP Committee Markup of Health Care Legislation
July 22, 2026
What happened: On July 22, 2026, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a markup and advanced two pieces of legislation to strengthen the nation's health care workforce:
- EMPOWER for Health Act (S. 4110)
- Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1874)
Why it matters: The EMPOWER for Health Act (S. 4110) and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1874) would reauthorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs, respectively, for five years. Reauthorizing these programs is a critical step toward ensuring patients everywhere have access to timely, high-quality care.
The big picture: The AAMC urges both the House and Senate to advance the EMPOWER for Health Act (S. 4110) and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1874) because reauthorizing the critical HRSA Title VII and Title VIII programs would:
- Strengthen the health care workforce by supporting the recruitment, retention, and training of physicians and other health care providers.
- Educate current and future health care providers in communities across the nation, including in rural and underserved areas, through targeted scholarships, grants, and loan programs.
- Address the nation's growing shortage of physicians and other health care providers and improve access to care for patients.
AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee markup that included legislation that would have potential significant impacts on the nation's health workforce, as well as academic health systems, teaching hospitals, and medical schools:
"The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs are foundational to addressing the nation's growing health care provider shortages and improving access to care for patients. The AAMC thanks the Senate HELP Committee for advancing the EMPOWER for Health Act (S. 4110) and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1874). The AAMC and 73 other health care organizations agree that reauthorizing these vital health care workforce development programs is a critical step toward ensuring patients everywhere have access to timely, high-quality care.
The HRSA Title VII and VIII programs strengthen the health care workforce by supporting the recruitment, retention, and training of physicians and other health care providers. This includes educating current and future providers - including those in rural and underserved communities - through targeted scholarships, grants, and loan programs. As the nation's health care needs continue to grow and evolve, it is essential that Congress invest in the future physician workforce to meet those demands.
We urge both the House and Senate to swiftly advance the EMPOWER for Health Act (S. 4110) and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1874).
Media Contact
Stuart Heiser, Senior Media Relations Specialist
202-828-0059
[email protected]
The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act (S. 2355) was also passed by the Senate HELP Committee today, and the AAMC is concerned that it would create significant operational challenges for academic health systems and teaching hospitals without necessarily improving access to care or affordability for patients. The AAMC supports transparency efforts that provide actionable information to patients, and appreciates that this bill reflects some stakeholder feedback. Unfortunately, the bill passed by the Committee today misses that mark and would impose significant administrative burden on our member institutions. We look forward to continuing to work with policymakers to ensure the final legislation achieves its goals in a way that is workable for hospitals and beneficial for patients."
Past AAMC press releases and other media resources are available in the AAMC Press Center.
Established in 1876, the AAMC is a nonprofit association dedicated to improving the health of people everywhere through medical education, clinical care, biomedical research, and community collaborations. Its members are all 163 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; 12 Canadian medical schools accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools; more than 400 academic health systems and teaching hospitals; and more than 70 academic societies. The AAMC also collaborates with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and VA medical centers through their academic affiliations with AAMC-member institutions. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC leads and serves America's medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, and the millions of individuals across academic medicine, including more than 220,000 full-time faculty members, 100,000 medical students, 167,000 resident physicians, and 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. Through the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International, AAMC membership reaches more than 60 international academic health centers throughout five regional offices across the globe.
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AAMC - Association of American Medical Colleges published this content on July 22, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 23, 2026 at 20:54 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]