Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and six bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee have released a policy outline aimed at improving the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. The proposal addresses physician workforce shortages, with a focus on primary care and psychiatry, and aims to enhance the distribution of physicians to rural and underserved communities.

“It has become clear that there are not enough physicians to meet the health care needs of Americans,” wrote the senators. “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 health care workforce shortages and gaps.”

The outline includes measures to expand and improve the distribution of Medicare-supported GME residency training positions in rural areas and specialties experiencing shortages. It also proposes aiding rural hospitals with infrastructure needed to support residency training programs and improving federal data collection to ensure that GME funds are allocated effectively.

Joining Senators Cassidy and Wyden in this initiative are U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).