Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator John Boozman (R-AR) reintroduced the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 last week. Strongly supported by GNYHA, the bill would increase the number of Medicare-reimbursed residency slots nationally by 3,000 each year from 2021 through 2025, for a total of 15,000 slots. Increasing the number of reimbursed slots, which have been capped for more than 20 years, is a major GNYHA legislative priority.
The legislation underscores the critical importance of teaching hospitals and their mission to train medical residents, and addresses the nation’s worsening physician shortage, which the Association of American Medical Colleges projects could reach 120,000 physicians by the end of the next decade.
GNYHA took a strong leadership role in identifying a bipartisan, geographically diverse group of Senators to introduce the bill, and is grateful to Senator Schumer, who has long supported it and continues to be a strong ally of the hospital community. We also thank Senators Menendez and Boozman for their leadership on this vital legislation.
GNYHA will partner with our national allies to garner support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 on Capitol Hill.
GNYHA’s position paper on the legislation can be found here.