New House and Senate bill aims to tackle primary care doctor shortage

Congress is considering new legislation aimed at boosting funding for medical education with a goal of tackling a shortage of primary care doctors in underserved areas.

The Doctors of Community (DOC) Act introduced in the House of Representatives Tuesday and expected to be released in the Senate next week would permanently authorize the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program that aims to train primary care medical and dental doctors. The legislation would increase annual funding for more than $500 million per year from 2024 through 2033.

The goal of the legislation is to fund an additional 100 new medical education programs across the country and create roughly 1,600 new resident and physician slots, a major expansion of the program.