Carolina Journal (06/03/24) Zehnder, Katherine

Bipartisan members of the Senate Finance Committee, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), recently issued a proposed policy that would make improvements to the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. The goal, they said, was to address physician workforce shortages in the United States and increase the number of physicians in rural and underserved communities. "It has become clear that there are not enough physicians to meet the healthcare needs of Americans. As a bipartisan group of members of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Medicare Graduate Medical Education program, we are interested in advancing additional Medicare GME proposals to address healthcare workforce shortages and gaps," the senators wrote. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, there is expected to be a shortage of nearly 140,000 physicians across all specialties by 2036. "Congress can act to address these shortages by increasing the number of Medicare-supported residency positions in teaching hospitals," the proposal stated. "In addition, federal Medicare GME legislation can address the disproportionate shortage of physicians in certain specialties, including primary care and psychiatry, and in certain geographic locations, such as rural and underserved communities. Finally, improvements to the federal Medicare GME data collection can improve the use of this program to sustain the healthcare workforce long-term."

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