The Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to discuss how federal regulations and administrative burdens are contributing to physician burnout and worsening workforce shortages in healthcare. The hearing is titled “Doctors Are Out: How Washington’s Rules Drove Physicians from Medicine” and will be led by Committee Chair Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand.
Committee members and expert witnesses will examine the effects of these challenges on patient care, including longer wait times and reduced access to reliable healthcare. The panel of witnesses includes Alma Littles, MD, Dean and Academic Director at Florida State University College of Medicine; Lee Gross, MD, Founder of Epiphany Health Direct Primary Care; Jeffrey Smith, CPA, MBA, FACMPE, CGMA, Executive Director at Piedmont HealthCare and incoming president of the Medical Group Management Association; and Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Co-founder and CEO of the Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.
The hearing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET in Room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. A live online stream will be available for public viewing.
The Senate Aging Committee examines issues that affect older Americans—including Social Security, Medicare, long-term care, retirement security—and conducts hearings as part of its oversight role. The committee provides resources such as a fraud hotline to protect seniors from financial exploitation according to its official website. It maintains offices in both the Dirksen (majority) and Hart (minority) Senate Office Buildings as stated online.
Rick Scott serves as chair and Kirsten Gillibrand as ranking member of the committee per official information. The committee's oversight extends nationwide for all aging-related federal programs according to its site, including regular hearings on programs like Medicare and Social Security as outlined by the committee.
