Lawmakers Urged to Act Quickly on House Bill 2154

TYLER, Texas – May 19, 2009 – Local health care providers, clinic administrators, patients and community leaders today called for immediate passage of House Bill 2154 during a news conference at Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas in Tyler.

H.B. 2154 works to solve Texas’ primary care provider shortage by encouraging more physicians to practice primary care. The bill would offer physicians incentives to serve in rural, inner-city and other underserved areas, thereby improving patient access to this care where need is the greatest. The Texas House passed H.B. 2154 last week. With less than two weeks remaining in the legislative session, local health care advocates urge area senators Robert Nichols and Kevin Eltife to take quick action on the measure in the Texas Senate.

More than half of Texas counties, including many in East Texas, currently need additional primary care physicians, and the poor distribution of the physicians practicing in the state only worsens the problem. Several agencies that provide health care for the underserved in the region, including Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas currently have a number of health provider openings. Recruiting doctors and other crucial providers to serve in the community is increasingly difficult. The severity of the shortage and the barriers it creates for healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved areas, call for immediate action in the Texas Legislature.

The average medical school graduate amasses a debt of up to $160,000 in student loans during medical school. H.B. 2154 would bring significant funding to loan repayment programs for primary care providers who elect to practice in underserved areas of the state for a full four-year commitment.

“It is a constant struggle to find providers to address the growing need for services in our community,” said Dr. Bennie Webster, Chairwoman of Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas. “House Bill 2154 will give us an excellent recruiting tool to bring more doctors and other crucial family care providers to East Texas.

H.B. 2154 would assist primary care physicians in paying off student loans who agree to practice in an underserved community for four years. As designed, the fund would provide an incentive to new health professionals to both practice primary care and locate in critical shortage areas throughout Texas.



“Faced with tremendous medical school debt, many medical students must choose more lucrative specialties than primary care in order to pay off their student loans,” said Dr. Webster. “This legislation would allow more physicians to practice primary care and offer care in communities with the greatest need.”

Funding for H.B. 2154 would come from a restructuring of the existing tobacco tax, closing a current loophole on smokeless tobacco products.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the latest numbers for 2008 revealed that 26 Texas counties had no primary care physician. Eighteen counties had only one. In addition, 46 Texas counties lacked a dentist. Provider shortages are not limited to rural areas of the state. Inner-city and border communities are also without adequate access to primary and preventive care.

“Many families in our area and across Texas seeking basic healthcare are forced to travel to the nearest doctor many miles away, turn to highly expensive emergency room care, or simply go without care,” said Webster. “The latter two alternatives have a great impact on healthcare costs for everyone. House Bill 2154 makes sense if we are to meet our future needs while working to keep costs and the taxes associated with healthcare costs in check.”

For more information on House Bill 2154, visit www.HealthAccessForTexas.org.