AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services (HCIFS) Committee voted unanimously, of those present, on Wednesday to advance legislation that would expand Maine's health care workforce, sponsored by Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston.
LD 937 would create a 13-member Commission Regarding Foreign-trained Physicians Living in Maine to examine the existing skills and training of physicians, with a focus on those with refugee or asylum seeker status, and determine how best to utilize their talents in Maine's health care workforce.
"Reducing barriers to licensing for foreign-trained physicians and physicians from other states will help us meet our labor shortages and increase the cultural competency of our health care workforce, while also allowing these professionals to do the work they love," said Cloutier.
The commission would, among many other tasks, determine strategies to integrate foreign-trained physicians into the health care workforce and highlight changes for regulations that may pose unnecessary barriers to practicing medicine in Maine. Further, the commission would be responsible for delivering a report to the HCIFS Committee by January 15, 2024, outlining its findings and recommendations for future legislation.
The bill faces additional votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Cloutier is the Assistant House Majority Leader and is currently serving her third consecutive term in the Maine House of Representatives. She represents House District 94, which includes part of her hometown of Lewiston.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Cloutier], 305-965-2744