U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, is leading bipartisan legislation to expand medical residency positions nationwide to address the physician shortage.
Sewell, joined by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, reintroduced recently the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to add 14,000 Medicare-supported residency slots gradually over the next seven years.
The congresswoman said the “commonsense bill” will help train the next generation of doctors to meet the growing demand and increase access to healthcare.
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“Our nation’s doctor shortage threatens to make it harder for millions of Americans to access the lifesaving care they depend on,” Sewell said in a statement. “The situation is especially dire for rural communities like the ones I represent.”
A cost estimate for the proposal isn’t available.
Legislation goals
Alabama needs an additional 263 primary care doctors in 55 cities and towns to eliminate the current primary care physician shortage in the state, according to data from the Alabama Office of Healthcare Workforce. The doctor shortage continues to plague communities as doctors retire, the United States’ population ages and rural areas struggle to attract physicians.
The state is not alone in facing this shortage. The United States could have a shortage of up to 86,000 doctors by 2036, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The organization supports the bill.
The legislation aims to add 2,000 residency positions every year for seven years to reach the goal of 14,000 new positions to train doctors. The bill designates that the slots should be distributed across hospitals, with at least 10% of them designated for rural hospitals, hospitals in states with new medical schools, hospitals that serve areas designated as health professional shortage areas, and those that are training more residents than their Medicare-funded residency slots cap.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Alex Angle and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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