On Monday, a Modern Healthcare op-ed by Senator John Boozman (R-AK)—a sponsor of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 (S. 834)— noted the urgent need to address primary- and specialty-care physician shortages, particularly in rural and urban areas.
Senator Boozman’s op-ed explains that increasing the number of Medicare-supported residency positions by lifting decades-old caps on training positions for medical school graduates would ensure an adequate number of future physicians and other providers. GNYHA’s tweet highlighting the op-ed and thanking the Senator for his work on the bill is available here.
GNYHA’s recently released policy paper examines how increasing the number of Medicare-supported residency positions would impact the nation’s physician workforce and the length of time to address the shortage. It says that significant investment is needed now to allow for adequate time to bolster the future workforce.
We will continue to advocate for additional Medicare-supported residency positions and other graduate medical education (GME) expansions. We strongly urge you to contact your senators and representatives to request that reconciliation legislation includes a provision that broadens Federal support for GME.