HRS Urges Congress to Increase Medicare-Funded Graduate Medical Education Slots

July 11, 2024 – On June 24, 2024, HRS teamed up with the Graduate Medical Education Advocacy Coalition (GMEAC) to submit comments regarding a policy outline released by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and members of the panel’s Bipartisan Medicare GME Working Group.

The outline includes suggestions aimed at enhancing the Medicare graduate medical education (GME) program and tackling physician workforce shortages across the country.

Recognizing that the U.S. faces a shortage of 13,500 to 86,000 primary care and specialty physicians by 2036, HRS and nearly 50 member organizations of the GMEAC voiced support for increasing the number of Medicare-funded residency positions by at least 10,000 slots. The number of Medicare-funded residency slots had been capped by Congress in 1997 and remained frozen until Congress took incremental steps to add 1,200 positions over the past few years.

The comments are consistent with the bipartisan Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 2389/S. 1302), which would provide 14,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions over seven years.

Available Resources

• Graduate Medical Education Advocacy Coalition (GMEAC)
• GME Advocacy Coalition: Response Letter  to SFC GME Working Proposal
• Bipartisan Medicare GME Working Group Draft Proposal Outline and Questions for Consideration
• The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 2389/ S. 1302)