U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), along with a counterpart D.C. lawmaker across the aisle, introduced a bill to increase the number of specialist doctors and other medical professionals in rural communities.
Sens. Wicker and Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.) co-introduced the bipartisan “Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act.” The measure would create a student loan repayment program for specialist physicians and other specialist medical professionals practicing medicine in rural areas of the U.S.
“The entire nation is dealing with a physician shortage, and rural communities in Mississippi have been particularly affected. Congress can help provide a solution,” Wicker said. “The SPARC Act would offer targeted incentives to medical professionals who choose to work in underserved towns and cities. I believe this bill will encourage providers to bring their services to areas that need them most.”
Mississippi’s patient-to-physician ratio is the lowest in America – 1,875:1 – with specialist medical professionals being even rarer in the state’s most underserved areas. Nevada is another of many states facing doctor shortages, ranked 45th in the U.S., and with each of the state’s 17 counties being designated as underserved.
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The SPARC Act was originally introduced in 2022, with medical educators in Mississippi and across the country hopeful that 2025 will be the year it becomes law.
“The SPARC Act would be an effective tool to encourage more skilled physicians to establish specialty-medicine practices in rural Mississippi communities,” University of Mississippi Medical Center Dean of the School Dr. LouAnn Woodward said. “UMMC’s overall mission is to foster a healthier Mississippi, and should this bill pass and be enacted, it will help us move closer to that goal.”
