Sponsors (132)
The bill expands Medicare‑funded residency slots and directs a targeted study to strengthen the physician workforce and access—particularly in high‑need specialties and underserved areas—but does so at increased federal cost, with administrative complexity and rules that may advantage larger institutions and leave smaller hospitals and communities waiting for benefits.
Medical students, residents, and future patients: the bill creates up to 2,000 additional Medicare‑supported residency FTE positions per year (2026–2032), expanding physician training capacity.
Rural, low‑income, and underserved communities: expanded Medicare GME funding plus focused training requirements can help address local physician shortages and improve access to care over time.
Students and healthcare systems training in high‑need specialties: hospitals receiving new/reserved positions must keep at least 25% of FTE residents in primary care and general surgery for five years, supporting workforce supply in priority fields.
Taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries: expanding Medicare GME positions increases federal spending and program costs, raising fiscal pressure on the Medicare system.
Smaller or newer hospitals and some trainees: caps, eligibility thresholds (e.g., minimum 10‑position excess, 75‑FTE cap), and priority/reserved allocations risk excluding smaller programs and concentrating benefits in larger institutions.
Smaller hospitals: the requirement to add slots and meet training‑mix commitments may impose operational and financial burdens that are difficult for resource‑constrained facilities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a multi-year increase in Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions by authorizing up to 2,000 additional resident full-time equivalent (FTE) slots each year for fiscal years 2026–2032, with procedures for annual application rounds, reserved slots for hospitals already over their resident limit, rollovers of unused slots, and continued distribution if additional capacity remains. Also directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study strategies to increase diversity in the health workforce, emphasizing rural, low-income, and underrepresented minority communities, and to report findings and recommendations to Congress within two years.
Authorizes up to 2,000 additional Medicare-supported residency slots per year (FY2026–FY2032) and requires a GAO study on workforce diversity.
Official title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Terri Sewell · Last progress July 23, 2025