With each passing year, access to urologists in rural America is growing scarcer. In an effort to reverse this trend, the AUA has been working across Congress to introduce bipartisan legislation to help increase specialty physicians in rural America. Now, we need your assistance raising awareness with your Representative and Senators to cosponsor the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act (H.R.2761/S.705)!

The AUA Census provides a staggering statistic that 60 percent of U.S. counties do not have a practicing urologist. The Association of American Medical Colleges further exacerbates the impending crisis with a projected shortage of 77,100 specialty physicians by 2034. At the center of the workforce shortage are concerns about physician student loan debt. Over 71 percent of medical students have some amount of student loan debt, and 53 percent have $200,000 or more. This surmounting student loan debt ultimately compels over 90 percent of urologists to choose to practice in a metropolitan area after residency. These factors contribute to the disparity in access to specialty medicine in rural America.

The SPARC Act expands coverage in rural America, where many Americans lack access to close and readily available specialty physicians to treat them when necessary. It establishes a student loan forgiveness program designed for specialty physicians. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide urologists and other specialty medicine physicians the opportunity to have a portion of their eligible student loans repaid by the federal government in exchange for practicing in a rural community experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians.

Ask your members of Congress to support improved access to essential health services for many Americans by helping to increase the number of practicing specialty physicians in rural America. Urge them to cosponsor the SPARC Act today!