Sen. Boozman bill would boost federal dollars for physician training

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., is pushing legislation to increase the number of Medicare-supported doctor training slots, which would address the shortage of primary and specialty care physicians in Arkansas and nationwide.

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act is backed by Boozman and U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., according to a Thursday (July 24) press release from Boozman’s office. The bill is supported by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), National Rural Health Association (NRHA), American Medical Association (AMA) and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

“There is an urgent, demonstrated need to strengthen our health care system by combating the alarming shortage of providers, particularly in rural areas,” Boozman said in the release. “Lifting the outdated cap on residency positions supported by Medicare can expand the supply of physicians while helping ensure access to quality care and treatment in more communities nationwide. I am proud to work in a bipartisan way on this important medical workforce solution that also supports better health outcomes.”

The legislation would increase the number of residency program positions that Medicare can fund by 14,000 over seven years and prioritize positions “for states with hospitals located in rural areas, new medical schools, hospitals training physicians in excess of their cap as well as hospitals that serve areas designated as health professional shortage areas (HPSAs),” according to the press release.

According to Boozman’s office, there is an estimated shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, including up to 40,000 primary care doctors and 20,000 surgical specialists. Also, around 25% of medical residencies were not supported by Medicare in 2023.

“Funding residencies independently is extremely costly to rural hospitals already struggling to attract and support physicians,” noted the statement from Boozman’s office.

Bo Ryall, president and CEO of the Arkansas Hospital Association, said the legislation will help rural states like Arkansas.

“The current cap on residency slots, established in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, severely restricts the number of training positions for which hospitals can receive graduate medical education (GME) funding, exacerbating our workforce challenges,” Ryall said in a statement. “As a predominantly rural state, Arkansas faces a pressing concern regarding consistent access to medical care and, by adding more residency slots, the legislation will help address the critical physician shortage. We appreciate Sen. Boozman for sponsoring this very important legislation.”