Health Subcommittee Markup

Health

2025-09-10

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the subcommittee focused on marking up several critical health-related bills for reauthorization and advancement, particularly those addressing healthcare workforce shortages, rural access to care, telehealth services, and maternal and infant health programs [ 00:19:19 ]

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[ 00:25:50 ]

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[ 00:30:10 ]

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. Members discussed the importance of these initiatives for improving healthcare access and outcomes across the country, especially in underserved areas [ 00:20:08 ]

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[ 00:30:43 ]

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Themes

Healthcare Workforce Reauthorization [ 00:19:29 ]

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[ 00:30:13 ]

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The subcommittee advanced two bills, HR 4262 (Empower for Health Act) and HR 3593 (Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act), to bolster the healthcare workforce [ 00:19:47 ]

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[ 00:20:12 ]

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. HR 4262 reauthorizes Title VII programs to recruit and retain physicians, especially in rural and underserved areas, aiming to address projected physician shortages by 2037 [ 00:19:47 ]

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. HR 3593 reauthorizes Title VIII programs that strengthen the nursing workforce through grants and educational opportunities, recognizing nurses as essential front-line providers [ 00:20:12 ]

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. These programs are seen as vital for creating a robust and diverse network of healthcare professionals [ 00:30:20 ]

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[ 00:30:23 ]

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Improving Care in Rural America

HR 2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act, was discussed to support and promote healthcare services in rural communities . This program helps rural residents overcome barriers to care such as workforce shortages and transportation issues, which contribute to higher mortality rates in these areas . The bill aims to increase access to preventative health services, screenings, and chronic care management, building on its success in delivering direct services to over 500,000 individuals annually .

Telehealth Network and Resource Centers [ 00:56:24 ]

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HR 3419 focuses on reauthorizing the Telehealth Network and Telehealth Resource Centers Grant Program, crucial for expanding access to telehealth services, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas . Telehealth has become a lifeline for providers and patients, with a significant increase in visits, and these centers provide technical assistance and support for its continued growth . The bill aims to ensure states keep up with technology and share expertise to improve patient access to care .

Maternal and Infant Health Initiatives [ 00:30:47 ]

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Two bills, HR 3302 (Healthy Start Reauthorization Act) and HR 4709 (Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act), were advanced to address maternal and infant health [ 01:01:53 ]

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[ 01:08:05 ]

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. The Healthy Start program, first created in 1991, aims to reduce infant deaths and improve the health of pregnant women and new mothers, particularly in communities with high infant mortality rates [ 01:02:14 ]

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[ 01:02:41 ]

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. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act supports programs that screen newborns for genetic conditions, enabling early diagnosis and treatment that can save lives and improve long-term health outcomes [ 00:31:07 ]

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Public Health Service Officer Leave Parity

HR 2846 seeks to align the parental leave policy for U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officers with other uniformed services . This aims to address disparities affecting recruitment and retention of qualified professionals who serve in various health-related specialties and respond to public health emergencies and disasters .

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting had a dual tone, marked by broad bipartisan support for the specific health bills being advanced, particularly those related to workforce development and patient care [ 01:02:47 ]

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. However, there was also significant partisan tension and criticism from Democratic members regarding broader healthcare policy decisions, specifically the impact of recent Medicaid cuts on rural hospitals and overall access to care [ 00:50:42 ]

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. The Ranking Member, Diana L. DeGette, expressed frustration over the exclusion of other bipartisan health bills from the markup and requested a hearing regarding former CDC director Susan Monteres . Despite these disagreements, Chairman Griffith acknowledged the philosophical fights but emphasized the shared goal of helping children .

Participants

Transcript

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Subcommittee will come to order.  The chairman recognizes himself for an opening statement.  Today's markup is a critical step to get these various bills that we have across the finish line before they expire at the end of the fiscal year.  The legislative hearing that we held in July allowed us to hear from expert witnesses and understand the impact of some of these programs.   Two very important reauthorizations in front of us serve a vital role for our healthcare workforce, which are Title VII and Title VIII reauthorizations.  HR 4262, the Empower for Health Act championed by Representative Schakowsky from Illinois, reauthorizes Title VII programs that help bolster our physician community by prioritizing recruitment and retention.  This will continue to incentivize more individuals to enter the health workforce and expand   access to care in rural and underserved areas.  HR 3593, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act, being led by Representative David Joyce, reauthorizes Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, which plays a meaningful role in supporting development of our nation's nurses.  This reauthorization includes many important grant programs that help strengthen the nursing workforce   and increase educational opportunities for both nurses and faculty at nursing schools.  The program also allows for loan repayment opportunities that are needed to incentivize more people to enter the nursing workforce.  We've all heard about the need for more health care workers in this country, and the reauthorization of these programs is a step in the right direction towards addressing that need.  Congress will continue to take a close look to ensure   These taxpayer-funded programs are properly targeted and allocate resources to areas and patients who need it the most.  We are also marking up H.R.  2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act, an important bill carried by Representative Carter of Georgia.
This bill reauthorizes the Rural Health Services Outreach Programs, which aim to support and promote healthcare services   in rural areas.  This program was signed into law in 2020 under President Trump's first administration.  It promotes innovative solutions that help people in rural communities get the care they need, such as increased access to preventative health services and screenings, chronic care management, and other forms of care that are needed in our rural areas across the United States.   Another important bill before us today is H.R.  3419, the Telehealth Network and Telehealth Resource Centers Grant Program Reauthorization Act led by Representative Valdeo from California.  This bill helps increase education on the use of telehealth across the country, very important.  Reauthorizing the Telehealth Resource Centers Grant Program will support our telehealth infrastructure that has become a lifeline for both providers and patients.   especially those in hard to reach rural areas.  These resource centers serve as the main hub for technical assistance and support for telehealth in their respective regions.  The University of Virginia is currently the resource center for my district and for the Mid-Atlantic region.  They have experienced a 24% increase, 24% increase in telehealth visits from their program from fiscal year 24 to fiscal year 25.   This type of increase is happening across the country, and it is likely to continue growing.  As we look to extend telehealth flexibilities, we must reauthorize these centers to ensure our states are keeping up with the most recent technology and sharing their expertise so patients can have access to the care they need.  Other reauthorization bills that are before us are being led by Representative Ocasio-Cortez from New York and Representative Morrison from Minnesota.   These will help reduce the rate of infant mortality, improve perinatal outcomes, and expand access to screenings and services for newborns at risk for certain disorders.
Allowing for early newborn screening can save lives, create better outcomes, reduce long-term health care costs, and we should strive to do those things.  As we must do with every authorization bill that moves through this committee, we must evaluate the impacts these programs have had   and not only ensure the money is being spent as it was originally intended, but also ensure patient privacy is protected.  Considering each of these reauthorizations is an important step forward to ensure each program is working as we intended, and we will continue to examine these programs as we move to the full committee.  I look forward to moving these bills out of the health subcommittee, and with that, I now recognize the ranking member, Ms.  DeGette, for a five-minute opening statement on today's hearing.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.  Well, there are some good bills in this markup today.

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