In committee
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025
This bill provides Medicare funding for 14,000 new doctor residency training positions, releasing 2,000 spots per year from 2026 through 2032. The funding targets regions facing doctor shortages, reserving positions for rural facilities, hospitals already training more doctors than their federal caps allow, and areas with new medical schools or ties to historically Black medical colleges. In addition, federal officials must study and recommend strategies to increase diversity in the healthcare workforce, particularly among rural, low-income, and minority professionals.
People affected14,000provisional · pending reviewSec. 2(a)(4)(11)(A) mandates the distribution of 2,000 full-time equivalent resident physician positions per fiscal year from FY 2026 through FY 2032, totaling 14,000 resident positions.
Fiscal magnitude—no CBO estimate published
Reach54provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Spending vs. restraint+30Race-conscious policy+25Government role in coverage+20
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Teaching hospitalsReceive up to 14,000 additional Medicare-funded residency training positions between fiscal years 2026 and 2032, including Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME) per-resident funding and Indirect Medical Education (IME) payment adjustments.
- Prospective medical residentsGain access to 14,000 new Medicare-supported residency training positions distributed nationwide, expanding opportunities for graduate medical training.
- Historically Black medical schools and minority-serving institutionsReceive statutory priority for health professional shortage area residency allocations for their affiliated teaching hospitals.
Who it burdens
- Teaching hospitals receiving new residency slotsMust formally commit to increasing total resident counts by the number of positions awarded, and hospitals receiving certain over-cap slots must maintain at least 25 percent of residents in primary care and general surgery for at least five years.
- Government Accountability OfficeRequired to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress within two years evaluating strategies to increase healthcare workforce diversity from rural, lower-income, and underrepresented minority communities.
Who backs it
- Medicare programFinances DGME per-resident payments and IME payment adjustments for up to 2,000 new residency slots annually from FY 2026 through FY 2032 (totaling 14,000 slots).