OME Advocate Newsletter

On September 9 and 10, 2025, join with fellow osteopathic deans, students, faculty members and physicians to advocate for osteopathic medical education (OME) federal policy priorities. AACOM Advocacy Day brings together Members of Congress, policy experts and our Government Relations team to explore the congressional landscape, sharpen your advocacy skills and highlight AACOM’s key issues on Capitol Hill. AACOM Advocacy Day registrants will attend live virtual sessions and urge their Members of Congress to elevate OME priorities by participating in coordinated calls to action. The event will be held virtually, requires only roughly two hours each day and is open to all members of the OME community. There is no cost to participate. Further details about advocacy activities and live virtual sessions are forthcoming. Visit the Advocacy Day page for the latest updates.

On May 14, 2025, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 30-24 to advance the health title of its budget reconciliation portion, proposing major reforms to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and provider payment systems—projected to reduce the deficit by at least $625 billion over 10 years. The House Ways and Means Committee also advanced its portion of the package, which focuses on President Trump’s tax bill. Internal GOP debates continue over provisions such as the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap, with SALT Caucus members pushing for an increase and some conservatives arguing the bill does not go far enough in cutting the deficit. The Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce bills were merged into a larger reconciliation package and narrowly passed the House Budget Committee late Sunday by a 17-16 vote, after four Republicans changed their votes to “present” to move it forward. The House Rules Committee is set to review the package Wednesday morning, with final House consideration expected before the Memorial Day recess. The Senate is expected to take up the measure next, where it will likely face further obstacles.

AACOM continues to advocate against provisions that would negatively impact the OME community, including the elimination of the Grad PLUS loan program, federal borrowing caps and risk-share payment requirements for institutions of higher education, including osteopathic medical schools. We are collaborating with stakeholders within and outside osteopathic medicine to promote congressional changes. We encourage the OME community to continue to advocate with your House and Senate members in support of these goals.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing titled “The MATCH Monopoly: Evaluating the Medical Residency Antitrust Exemption.” The hearing examined the anticompetitive impacts of the medical residency match system and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, with witnesses debating whether the current system harms physician supply, suppresses wages and limits rural health access or appropriately manages a complex process.

The hearing comes amid recent policy developments, including an Executive Order calling for greater scrutiny of accreditors and the introduction of H.R. 3018, the Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act, which would repeal the Match’s antitrust exemption.

 AACOM will continue to monitor, report and engage on federal policymakers’ efforts relating to residency selection and accreditation.

For more information on the hearing, see AACOM’s summary.

As the House Education and Workforce Committee’s budget reconciliation bill heads to the full House for consideration as part of a broader reconciliation package, certain provisions would impose serious financial burdens on colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) and their students. The legislation eliminates Grad PLUS loans and caps federal student professional borrowing at $150,000, while forcing institutions to shoulder millions in new risk-sharing payments—jeopardizing access to medical education and exacerbating the physician shortage.

With more than 9,000 messages sent to Congress, your advocacy continues to make a difference! The Committee added a provision that prevents student loan interest accrual during the first four years of residency-related forbearance and language basing institutional accountability payments on medical graduates’ earnings post-residency. These provisions were secured thanks to the collective advocacy of the OME community, and we must maintain the momentum!

With a growing physician shortage, we cannot afford policies that make it harder to train the next generation of doctors. Contact your elected officials today and urge them to protect the Grad PLUS Loan Program, oppose federal borrowing caps and reject unfair risk-sharing policies that harm COMs and students.

• A recent Health Affairs study reveals a significant expansion in graduate medical education (GME) programs in rural areas and at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) from 2008 to 2024, crediting federal initiatives aimed at addressing physician shortages in underserved communities.
• The study reports an increase in residency programs incorporating rural training sites from 120 in 2008–09 to 412 in 2023–24, an increase from 6.18 percent to 14.34 percent of all programs. Similarly, GME programs with FQHC training sites grew from 69 to 321 during the same period, accounting for 11.17 percent of all residency programs by 2023–24.
• Federal programs like the Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) program and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program play a critical role in expanding rural and community-based training, as 21.6 percent of rural residencies are supported by the RRPD and 28 percent of FQHC-based residencies are funded through THCGME.
• The study also found that rural-trained residents are at least twice as likely to remain and practice in rural areas and that 56 percent of residents trained in community-based settings such as FQHCs go on to serve in medically underserved areas, compared to just 25.1 percent of the overall U.S. residency graduate population.
• These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of THCGME and other rural development programs in bolstering the healthcare workforce. With nationwide physician shortages, especially in rural and underserved areas, the OME community’s commitment to community-based training is more pertinent than ever.

• On May 2, 2025, President Donald Trump released his fiscal year (FY) 2026 discretionary budget request, which outlines the administration's key spending priorities for the upcoming year. Often referred to as the "skinny budget," this document is a policy outline, not a legally binding proposal, offering a preview of the administration's preferred approach.
• The "skinny budget" reduced discretionary spending by 22.6 percent across the federal government for non-defense discretionary spending, including:
• $29.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a 38 percent decrease from FY25
• $7.2 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration, a 19.4 percent decrease from FY25
• $3.0 billion in discretionary funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an 18.3 percent decrease from FY25
• $5.6 billion in discretionary funding for the Centers for Disease Control, a 38.9 percent decrease from FY25
• $240 million in discretionary funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a 35 percent decrease from FY25
• Many Republicans have expressed concerns about the president's "skinny budget," and the final budget may diverge from the president's preferences. A more detailed FY26 budget request, including specific programmatic funding levels, is expected to be released by the White House in the coming weeks.

• On May 14, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held budget hearings for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before both committees in support of significant budget cuts and structural reforms, which he argued would enhance departmental efficiency and better align with the administration’s health priorities. Central to these reforms is the proposed creation of the Administration for a Healthy America.
• Kennedy faced bipartisan scrutiny during the hearings, particularly concerning past vaccine-related statements and proposed funding cuts for programs related to infectious disease control, cancer and maternal health research, and the NIH. Despite the controversy, Kennedy reaffirmed his commitment to the health of the American people and defended the changes as necessary to modernize HHS and shift focus toward preventive care and chronic disease management.
• For more information on the hearings, see AACOM’s summaries of the House Appropriations and Senate HELP Committee hearings.

• ED is launching a negotiated rulemaking committee to overhaul multiple federal student loan and aid programs, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness, the Pay As You Earn plan and the Income-Contingent Repayment plan. As part of this initiative, ED is forming a Student Loans and Affordability Committee to draft proposed regulations.
• The Department is accepting nominations for committee negotiators through June 2, 2025. The first committee session will be held June 30 – July 2, 2025.
• Announced on April 3, 2025, ED seeks to “streamline” student-loan assistance programs, including for public-service workers and low-income borrowers, with the aim of creating “efficiencies for students, institutions, and key stakeholders.”
• AACOM submitted joint comments with the American Osteopathic Association urging ED to strengthen federal programs and policies that support the educational pathway of the future healthcare workforce.