AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement in response to passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024:
“We are grateful that congressional leaders addressed several health care challenges facing the nation’s teaching health systems and hospitals, medical schools, and faculty physicians by including critical health extenders as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. In addition to funding a number of federal agencies, the legislation will eliminate scheduled cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program through the end of 2024, which is critical to protecting the nation’s health care safety net. This legislation will also help patients continue to access the care they need by mitigating cuts to physicians' Medicare payments. Additionally, we are pleased that the package includes an extension of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, which helps support resident training, and the National Health Service Corps, which plays a significant role in recruiting primary care physicians to rural and other underserved communities through scholarships and loan repayment options. We also are grateful it includes a $27 million (2.9%) increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Prosthetics Research programs, which would help ensure research progress keeps pace with the increasing demands of improving health for veterans. Finally, we appreciate that these important health investments were achieved without harmful cuts to teaching health systems and hospitals’ outpatient departments that could impact access to care for the patients and communities they serve.”