The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a Feb. 24 hearing entitled “Advancing the Next Generation of America’s Health Care Workforce.” The hearing examined the physician workforce pathway and policies to strengthen access to care. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised concerns about growing physician shortages, highlighted the impact of increasing patient demand, and discussed the role of Medicare-supported graduate medical education physician training and health care access.
Members discussed demographic pressures, including an aging population and rising rates of chronic disease, that are driving greater demand for physicians. Several lawmakers highlighted statutory limits on Medicare-supported residency positions and discussed the effects of the 1997 cap on programs across the country. Reps. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) discussed the propensity for their legislation, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 (H.R. 4731/S. 2439), to increase the number of physicians training in the Medicare program all over the country. Witnesses also discussed the need for additional federal investments to support access in underserved and rural communities, and many highlighted the bipartisan Rural Residency Planning and Development Grant Act (H.R. 6468). Throughout the hearing, members emphasized the need for sustainable, long-term workforce strategies to ensure patients nationwide can access timely care.