OME Advocate Newsletter

AACOM endorses bicameral, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize, through 2029, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act that funds mental health resources for healthcare professionals. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Jennifer Kiggins (R-VA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) recently introduced S. 266 and H.R.929, bills named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York who died by suicide in Spring 2020.

First enacted in March 2022 as Public Law 117-105, the original legislation, also supported by AACOM, sought to prevent suicide, burnout and mental and behavioral health conditions among healthcare professionals. The law, which expired in 2024, established education and awareness initiatives and provided $100 million in grant funding to support mental health services for healthcare professionals. AACOM actively engaged in these efforts and, in 2022, was awarded a multi-year $2.2 million grant to support resilience and well-being initiatives within the osteopathic medical education (OME) community.

As Congress prepares to draft a budget reconciliation bill, provisions from last year’s College Cost Reduction Act, H.R. 6951, including the elimination of the Grad PLUS Loan Program, a $200,000 cap on federal loans per borrower and the introduction of new risk-sharing payments are under consideration. These changes would create significant financial barriers for osteopathic medical students and colleges of osteopathic medicine.

Grad PLUS loans are essential for making OME accessible, allowing students to borrow up to the full cost of their education without caps. At a time when our nation faces a growing physician shortage, it is critical that we do not impose unnecessary economic barriers on future physicians.

Act today to protect Grad PLUS loans, oppose federal borrowing caps and prevent harmful risk-sharing measures that could limit access to medical education.

AACOM’s Osteopathic Health Policy Internship (OHPI) program is an eight-week, virtual internship designed for current second- and third-year osteopathic medical students who will be on their clinical rotations during the 2025-26 academic year.

As an OHPI intern, you will gain hands-on experience in health policy, working alongside AACOM’s Government Relations team to help shape legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts that impact OME and the broader healthcare landscape. Apply by February 21, 2025. To learn more about the OHPI program, visit the OHPI webpage.

• After the House Budget Committee delayed the reconciliation mark up, the Senate unveiled its version of a reconciliation package on Friday. Budget reconciliation is a fast-track budgetary tool that can be used to advance the party’s priorities with a simple majority vote in each chamber.
• The Senate Budget resolution would provide $175 billion for border security, $150 billion for the Pentagon, $17 billion for the Coast Guard and ensure energy production. This two-bill approach would separate tax policy into a second reconciliation package to be completed later this year.
• Senate Budget Panel Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) indicated the Senate Budget Committee would meet later this week to mark up the reconciliation resolution and the authorizing committees would have until March 7 to add their pieces to the package.
• The House had preferred to pass one bill that includes tax and other major priorities, but a narrow majority requires party cohesion for the Republicans to advance the reconciliation process. Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) ambitious timeline to bring that package to the President’s desk by May is uncertain.
• AACOM opposes inclusion of any harmful higher education provisions in reconciliation and will advocate for the interests of the OME community during the process.

• On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 along party lines to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
• A full Senate vote could take place the week of Monday, February 10, 2025. With Senator Bill Cassidy's (R-LA) support secured, Kennedy's nomination is likely to pass barring last-minute vote changes.

Applications Open for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program: Applications are being accepted for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program, which increases diversity in the healthcare workforce by providing financial awards to eligible osteopathic medical schools for use in awarding scholarships to students from underserved backgrounds. Apply by February 19, 2025. Learn more and apply.

Applications Open for HRSA Primary Care Training Grants: HRSA recently opened applications for its Primary Care Training and Enhancement - Residency Training in Street Medicine program, which provides funding for primary care residencies in street medicine. Street medicine is the practice of providing medical care to those experiencing homelessness outside of healthcare facilities, on the streets, where the patient lives unsheltered. Apply by March 20, 2025. Learn more.

Applications Open for CMS Medicare-Funded GME Positions: Apply for new residency graduate medical education (GME) slots available through Section 126 and Section 4122. Each program is awarding a total of 200 full-time equivalent Medicare-funded positions to qualifying hospitals effective July 1, 2026. More information and the application for both programs can be found on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ direct GME website under the Section 126 and Section 4122 tabs. Apply by March 31, 2025. Learn more.

Applications Open 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 Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Learn more and apply by April 10, 2025.