President Biden Signs Spending Bill, Supporting OME Priorities
Published April 01, 2024
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Appropriations Federal Policy GME GME Funding Healthcare Workforce OME Advocate Rural Medicine
- On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, P.L. 118-47, which includes funding for Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; LHHSE; Legislative Branch; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
- In addition to the inclusion of report language urging increased osteopathic research and representation at NIH and highlighted above, the spending bill maintained flat funding for many priority healthcare agencies and programs:
- $47.1 billion, a 0.8 percent decrease, for the NIH
- $580.3 million, a 0.2 percent increase, for the Health Resources and Services Administration Title VII Health Professions Programs
- $369 million, a 1.2 percent decrease, for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- The LHHSE appropriations bill acknowledged some important health provisions and OME priorities, such as:
- $1.86 billion, an 8.9 percent increase in discretionary funding, for Community Health Centers
- $364 million, an increase of $12 million, for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Programs, including a continuing $145 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. The bill also provides $12.7 million for the Rural Health Residency Program. This program funds physician residency training programs that support physician workforce expansion in rural areas.
- $60 million for medical student education to support colleges of medicine at public universities located in the top quintile of States projected to have a primary care provider shortage. The bill directs HRSA to give priority to applications from academic institutions located in States with the greatest number of Federally recognized Tribes. It also directs HRSA to give priority to applications from public universities with a demonstrated public-private partnership.
- $18 million within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public health workforce development. This program line, also called Public Health and Preventive Medicine, funds programs that are authorized in Titles III and VII of the PHS Act (Public Law 111–148) and supports awards to schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, public health and integrative medicine programs.
- $12.2 million, a 3.4 percent increase, for rural health programs
- $4 million, a 10.5 percent increase, supporting telehealth
- Rural Health Equity – The Committee recognizes the importance of the Corps Scholarship Program, especially in combating the rural healthcare provider shortage, and recommends that HRSA increase the number of scholarships provided. Providing NHSC scholarships, particularly to students from rural communities, will increase equitable access to medical school and help to solve the rural provider workforce shortages throughout the United States.
- Administrative Academic Units – Funding of academic administrative units, such as medical school departments and divisions, under the PCTE program has been a critical part of the program both in its role in medical student selection of primary care training programs and in facilitating scholarly activity in departments of family medicine. The Committee directs HRSA to maintain this funding and to continue funding opportunities to support administrative academic units within medical schools. While the final bill supports inclusion of administrative academic units within medical schools, the directive in Senate Report 118-84 is not included.
- For a more comprehensive breakdown and analysis of the spending bill, see AACOM’s summary.