The AAMC sent an Oct. 29 letter to congressional leadership (PDF) emphasizing academic medicine’s key end-of-year legislative priorities, including finalizing the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations process and advancing policies that help to maintain patients’ access to care in the face of rising financial pressures.
In the letter, the AAMC urged Congress to complete the FY 2027 appropriations process, invest in key health care workforce programs, and protect the financial solvency of academic health systems and teaching hospitals by extending expiring clinical health policies and protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
Specifically, the AAMC also advocated for strong support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including by preserving support for facilities and administrative expenses through the NIH and other research agencies, rejecting policies that would negatively impact research, education, and health, and providing full funding for other key agencies and priorities.
The letter called on Congress to strengthen the health care workforce by expanding Medicare support for graduate medical education, reauthorizing the Health Resources and Services Administration Title VII and VIII programs, and enacting long-term authorizations and continued funding for the National Health Service Corps and the Community Health Centers program.
In addition, the AAMC urged Congress to protect academic health systems and teaching hospitals and their affiliated faculty physician practices by mitigating pending Medicare physician payment and clinical lab reimbursement cuts; delaying implementation of the 340B Drug Pricing Program rebate model and eliminating the proposed 340B Outpatient Prospective Payment System Medicare payment reductions; and rejecting policies that undermine support for academic health systems.