The Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled, ‘Making Health Care Work for American Families: Improving Access to Care’ at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing examined racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in access to health care, and the role of the healthcare workforce in addressing these disparities, with particular emphasis on primary care and nursing. The hearing also examined the role of Medicare and Medicaid in addressing disparities and workforce issues. This was the third in a series of five overview hearings on health reform.

Witness List

• Brian D. Smedley, Ph.D., Vice President and Director, Health Policy Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
• Michael John Kitchell, M.D., President-Elect of Iowa Medical Society, McFarland Clinic PC
• Michael A. Sitorius, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D., Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, Professor of Pediatrics, The George Washington University
• Jeffrey P. Harris, M.D., F.A.C.P., President, American College of Physicians
• James R. Bean, M.D., President, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Diane Rowland, Sc.D., Executive Director, The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

Documents

• Chair Pallone's Opening Statement
• Testimony of Brian D. Smedley
• Testimony of Michael John Kitchell
• Testimony of Michael A. Sitorius
• Testimony of Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
• Testimony of Fitzhugh Mullan
• Testimony of Jeffrey P. Harris
• Testimony of James R. Bean
• Testimony of Diane Rowland
• Preliminary Transcript

Audio