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 on the budget resolution set for consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives:
“As the House considers its fiscal year 2025 budget resolution, we urge lawmakers to protect access to care for millions of hard-working Americans by rejecting policies that could lead to significant cuts to the Medicaid program and limit access to student financial aid for aspiring physicians. AAMC-member academic health systems and teaching hospitals, medical schools, and their affiliated physician faculty plans play a vital and unique role in our nation’s health care infrastructure by training the next generation of physicians and other health care professionals, providing a wide range of high-quality health care services, and serving as the health care safety-net providing care to all patients—regardless of their ability to pay.
We remain extremely concerned that the budget resolution’s reconciliation instructions would result in unsustainable cuts to federal health programs, specifically Medicaid, by requiring at least $880 billion in savings from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Cuts of this magnitude would jeopardize both access to care for millions of Medicaid enrollees and the financial stability of providers who care for them. Rather, we hope policymakers will work together to invest in the health of all people by upholding the federal government’s financial commitment to federal health care programs, ensuring sufficient reimbursement for providers, safeguarding access to high quality medical education by ensuring access to federal loan options and repayment plans, and maintaining targeted financial support for safety-net providers.
The nation’s academic health systems and teaching hospitals, medical schools, and faculty practices are committed to improving the health of the American people, and federal support is critical to achieving this goal. Ensuring access to health care is a responsibility we all share. The AAMC and our members stand ready to work with all members of Congress to develop proposals that maintain access to health care in rural and urban communities across the country.”