Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2026

This bill would add physical therapists to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, which helps repay student loans for health professionals who work in areas with provider shortages. It would direct the Health Resources and Services Administration to identify areas within existing shortage areas that lack physical therapists, publish related data in the Federal Register, and assign physical therapists to those areas. It would add $15,000,000 for loan repayments to physical therapists in the program. Starting January 1, 2027, Medicare would cover physical therapy services furnished by physical therapists at Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Martin Heinrich Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors