Sponsor
Timothy Michael Kaine
Senator · D-VA
Senator · D-VA
The bill strengthens primary care training and workforce capacity—especially in underserved areas—by funding placements, preceptors, and supports, but does so at new federal cost and with grant limits and administrative requirements that could leave some specialties and smaller sites constrained.
Health professional students: gain substantially more primary care clinical placements and supports (including housing/transportation), increasing access to and completion of clinical training.
Primary care clinicians and clinical staff: receive expanded funding to recruit, retain, and pay preceptors and clinical faculty, strengthening the primary care workforce pipeline and improving availability of trained clinicians for patients (including those with chronic conditions).
Residents of shortage and disadvantaged regions (e.g., rural and low-income communities): see prioritized investments that expand workforce capacity in shortage regions and target disadvantaged trainees, improving local access to primary care over time.
Taxpayers: the program requires new federal spending (specified increases of $10M in FY2027, $25M in FY2028, $50M in FY2029 and continuing funding thereafter), increasing budgetary costs.
Rural communities and understaffed providers: annual grant limits ($1M per recipient) and program caps may restrict the scale of awards and leave some provider shortages unaddressed despite program intent.
Small community clinics and ambulatory training sites: meeting training-site requirements and participating as preceptor sites could create additional administrative burdens and operational costs for these providers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS grants (up to $1M/year, 5 years) to create and expand primary care team education centers that train students and strengthen preceptor workforce models.
Official title: Establish and support primary care team education centers, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress April 22, 2026
Creates a new HHS grant program to establish and expand multidisciplinary primary care team education centers that train health professional students in community-based ambulatory settings and develop innovative employment and compensation models to recruit and retain preceptors. Grants may last up to five years and are capped at $1,000,000 per year per award, with priorities for areas facing workforce shortages and for increasing trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. Requires grantees to form partnerships with higher education and approved health organizations, support integrated student curricula and supports (including mental health and housing/transportation), integrate nontraditional team members (like community health workers and school nurses), offer preceptor training/support, and provide reporting, technical assistance, and definitions for program administration.