Evaluating a new Senate proposal to reform residency funding

Source: Niskanen Center
by Lawson Mansell & Jared Rhoads

“Despite its vast wealth, the United States has fewer physicians per capita than most other developed nations. According to the OECD, the U.S. has about 2.7 physicians per 1,000 residents, ranking 28th out of 31 member countries. This shortage is partly due to the way graduate medical education (GME) is funded. Each year, the federal government allocates over $20 billion dollars to teaching hospitals through formulas designed to encourage hospitals to train medical residents and to guide trainees toward specific geographic areas and specialties. However, this system is underperforming. The U.S. graduates only about 8 new physicians per 100,000 residents annually, whereas other OECD countries train two to three times as many doctors per capita.” (01/29/25)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/evaluating-a-new-senate-proposal-to-reform-residency-funding