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- Bipartisan Group of Senators Reintroduce GME Funding Bill
Democratic and Republican senators reintroduced the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act on April 27 to increase Medicare-supported training slots and address physician shortages in the near- and long-term. The bill’s introduction followed the reintroduction of a bipartisan companion bill in the House in late March. The bill provides 14,000 new Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) slots over seven years.
The CAP has supported more GME slots to address projections of physician shortages of primary care and specialty physicians. During the CAP’s 2023 Hill Day on April 18, pathologists spoke to their representatives and senators about the legislation and urged them to support the bill, which is championed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Medicare pays for direct GME, the costs of educating residents, and indirect medical education to cover the generally higher costs teaching hospitals to incur. Congress made a critical initial investment in the physician workforce by providing 1,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the first increase of its kind in nearly 25 years, and an additional 200 Medicare-supported GME positions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
The United States is facing a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians over the long-term, according to a recent study from the AAMC. This has been exacerbated by an aging physician population, rising rates of physician burnout, and early retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Senate, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S 1302) is sponsored by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Susan Collins (R-ME).