The federal government and the future of US medical training


Residency is a mandatory step to achieving medical licensure in the US. Most residency programs are managed by hospitals, although my medical school is one of the ca. 10% that manages its own residency programs.

The federal government, primarily through Medicare and Medicaid, is the largest source of funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME), which includes residency programs. Residency training is a significant bottleneck in the pathway for new physicians. If DOGE elected to cut off federal funding for GME, it would strangle medicine in the US. Unless (a) residency training was eliminated as a licensure requirement and/or (b) GME training were handed off to private equity firms that are already buying up hospitals across the country. I don’t see how either of these options improves healthcare for Americans.

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