AACOM achieved significant successes for osteopathic medical education (OME) during the 118th Congress.

• The growth in congressional support for the bipartisan Fair Access In Residency Act, H.R. 751, and the increase to 76 supporting national and state healthcare organizations, demonstrated significant progress toward ensuring graduate medical education (GME) parity for osteopathic graduates in the residency selection process.
• The Community TEAMS Act, H.R. 7258/S. 3968, gained 26 bipartisan cosponsors and Congress included language in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 House and Senate appropriations bills encouraging more clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas.
• AACOM enlisted 37 Members of Congress to sign a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) urging more osteopathic research funding and the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations subcommittees included language in FY24 and FY25 urging the same.
• Veterans and Defense appropriations subcommittees encouraged the use of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) in addressing pain management for veterans and service members.
• AACOM’s Advocacy Days 2023 & 2024 engaged 700 advocates and facilitated 379 congressional meetings.

These accomplishments reflect AACOM’s dedication to expanding osteopathic influence and championing policies that strengthen healthcare education and delivery nationwide. We look forward to working with you in the 119th Congress to build on these successes and continue to strengthen the profession.

Join AACOM and the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents for an interactive student webinar on Thursday, January 30, from 7:00–8:00 PM ET to learn advocacy strategies and how to amplify your voice to influence policy and advance OME. Participants will hear directly from student advocacy leaders and members of the AACOM Government Relations team. Are you ready to make an impact on healthcare and higher education policies impacting your future as an osteopathic physician? Register for the webinar and stay tuned for more information.

Register

We recently updated our COM congressional delegation map for the 119th Congress. We encourage you to review and reach out to your delegation to strengthen your representation in the new Congress.

If you already have connections with any existing or incoming Members of Congress or new members of the presidential administration, please let us know at aacomgr@aacom.org. Your connections can help strengthen AACOM’s advocacy efforts.

Meet Your Members

• On December 21, 2024, President Biden signed a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and fund the government through March 14, 2025.
• The American Relief Act, 2025, P.L. 118-158, extends current FY24 funding levels and provides more than $100 billion in disaster relief.
• Importantly, the measure also extends several expiring healthcare programs important to the OME community, including the:
• The Teaching Health Center GME Program, National Health Service Corps and Community Health Centers until March 31, 2025. These programs were set to expire on December 31, 2024.
• Medicare telehealth flexibilities until March 31, 2025. The provisions, which stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, were also set to expire at the end of 2024.
• Congress must still enact full appropriations bills for FY25 before the end of April 2025 to stave off automatic one percent broad spending cuts under the June 2023 debt-limit deal.
• As the FY25 process continues, AACOM will advocate for health and higher education priorities in the House and Senate FY25 appropriations bills, including report language that calls for increased osteopathic research at the NIH, the expansion of community-based clinical rotations for medical students and the promotion of OMM for military service members.

• On January 3, 2025, the Department of Education (ED) published its final rules on distance education and return of Title IV funds. In response to AACOM comments, ED clarified that medical school clinical rotations would not count as distance education as long as the in-person components are essential parts of the course.
• These final rules followed the 2024 negotiated rulemaking committee sessions where AACOM nominee Erika Linden, CHC, served as the primary negotiator for private, non-profit institutions of higher education.
• The regulations are set to go into effect July 1, 2026. However, all rules finalized in the last months of the Biden Administration could be subject to reversal through the Congressional Review Act during the first months of the 119th Congress and incoming Trump Administration.

It’s Time to Engage the 119th Congress: New Committee Leaders and COM Reps

• On January 3, 2025, the U.S House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate gaveled in for the start of the 119th Session of Congress.
• Mike Johnson (R-LA) remained House Speaker by a vote of 218-215-1, following a dramatic first ballot vote that included holding the vote open for more than an hour.
• With both chambers of the 119th Congress led by Republicans, new Committee leaders were named in the Senate, and in some cases, the House. Of importance to our osteopathic priorities are these new committee leaders:

• We encourage you to review our updated map detailing each COM’s congressional delegation in the 119th Congress and reach out to their offices.

Apply to Intern with AACOM’s Government Relations Department: Applications are open for AACOM’s Osteopathic Health Policy Internship (OHPI) Program. The OHPI Program is an eight-week virtual internship for osteopathic medical students to learn about and advance AACOM’s legislative and regulatory advocacy priorities. The program is open to current second- and third-year osteopathic medical students who will be on their clinical rotations during the 2025-26 academic year. Apply by February 21, 2025. Learn more.

Apply to FORHP Rural Hospital Stabilization Program: Administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) through a grant to the National Rural Health Resource Center, this program offers no-cost assistance to rural hospitals to enhance or expand healthcare services such as pulmonary rehabilitation, outpatient behavioral health services and primary care, ensuring care remains accessible close to home. Applications for the first cohort of hospitals are due on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Learn more and apply.

Learn How to Expand Rural GME: Join the Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center for a webinar on Thursday, January 16, 2025 from 1:00 – 2:00PM ET to learn more about applying for new GME slots through Section 126 and Section 4122. The webinar is open to anyone with an interest in learning more about rural residency program development GME. Register.

HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Applications Now Open: HRSA is accepting applications for its Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program until January 25, 2025. Up to 50 awards will be made to support the expansion of health services in rural communities. Learn more and apply.

Apply for the Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program: HRSA is accepting grant applications to develop new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited rural residencies through their RRPD program. Qualified applicants must train residents in rural areas for greater than 50 percent of residency training, as defined by HRSA’s FORHP. Learn more and apply by April 10, 2025.