Expanding Medical Education Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2106
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-03-14: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-07T09:05:43Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Expanding Medical Education Act (H.R. 2106) aims to increase access to medical education in underserved areas by creating a federal grant program. This program supports the establishment, improvement, or expansion of schools of medicine (for Doctor of Medicine degrees) and schools of osteopathic medicine (for Doctor of Osteopathy degrees), including their branch campuses, to help address shortages of healthcare providers in medically underserved communities.
Key Provisions
- Grant Eligibility and Award Process: The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) can award grants to colleges, universities, or groups of such institutions to start, enhance, or grow medical or osteopathic schools or branch campuses. Applicants must submit detailed plans on how they will use the funds.
- Priority Criteria: Grants prioritize institutions that:
- Plan to locate new schools or branches in areas lacking such programs, specifically medically underserved communities (areas with limited access to healthcare) or health professional shortage areas (HPSAs, regions with insufficient doctors or other health workers relative to population needs).
- Focus on minority-serving institutions (schools that primarily enroll students from racial or ethnic minority groups underrepresented in medicine).
- Serve as minority-serving institutions under federal higher education laws.
- Equitable Distribution: HHS must, where possible, spread grants across different regions of the U.S. to ensure broad coverage.
- Required Uses of Funds:
- Recruit, enroll, and retain diverse medical students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities underrepresented in medicine, rural or low-income individuals, first-generation college students—those whose parents did not attend college).
- Develop and expand curricula focused on providing care to rural and underserved populations, emphasizing culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
- Permitted Uses of Funds:
- Plan and build new schools or branches in underserved areas.
- Prepare for accreditation (official recognition that a school meets quality standards).
- Hire faculty and staff, prioritizing those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
- Support educational programs, modernize facilities, and fund other related activities.
- Reporting Requirements:
- Grant recipients must submit annual reports to HHS on their activities.
- HHS must report to Congress every five years (starting five years after enactment) on program outcomes, including lists of awardees, student enrollment and graduation data (broken down by demographics like race, ethnicity, income, and geography), impacts on the healthcare workforce, improvements in access to care in underserved areas, and recommendations for program changes. These reports will be made publicly available on the HHS website.
- Definitions:
- Branch Campus: A separate, independent location offering at least 50% of a school's degree program, with its own faculty, budget, and administration.
- Other terms like "first-generation college student," "HPSA," "medically underserved community," and "institution of higher education" are defined by reference to existing federal laws.
- Funding: Authorizes whatever amounts Congress deems necessary to implement the program (no specific dollar amount is set).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act (a key federal law governing public health programs) by adding a new section (749C) to Subpart II of Part C of Title VII. This creates a dedicated grant program focused on medical and osteopathic education in underserved areas, building on but expanding existing provisions for health professions training. Previously, similar grants existed for other health fields, but this targets medical schools specifically in shortage areas and emphasizes diversity and rural/underserved focus.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HHS will administer the grants, manage applications, and produce regular reports, potentially increasing administrative workload but also providing data to inform future health policy. Congress will receive oversight reports to evaluate effectiveness.
- On Citizens: Could lead to more doctors trained to serve rural, low-income, and minority communities, improving healthcare access and reducing disparities. Students from underrepresented groups may gain better opportunities for medical education, potentially diversifying the physician workforce (e.g., more doctors matching the demographics of underserved patients).
- On International Relations: No direct impacts; the program is domestic-focused on U.S. healthcare shortages.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Educational Institutions: Schools of medicine and osteopathic medicine, including minority-serving institutions and consortia, which can apply for and receive grants to expand operations.
- Students and Future Doctors: Particularly those from disadvantaged, rural, low-income, or underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds, who benefit from recruitment and targeted curricula.
- Underserved Communities: Residents in medically underserved areas or HPSAs, who may see improved local healthcare access through more trained providers.
- Healthcare Workforce: Faculty, staff, and graduates, including increased representation of underrepresented groups in medicine.
- Federal Government: HHS (grant administration) and Congress (oversight and funding decisions).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The program aligns with existing federal authority under the Public Health Service Act to fund health workforce development. It requires compliance with accreditation standards and equitable distribution, but includes flexibility for HHS in grant decisions. Reporting mandates ensure transparency and accountability without imposing strict quotas.
- Constitutional: No apparent conflicts; it involves standard congressional spending power to promote general welfare through education and health initiatives. Emphasis on diversity in recruitment supports equal protection principles by addressing historical underrepresentation without mandating preferences.
- Political: Reinforces bipartisan goals of tackling healthcare disparities and rural health crises, potentially appealing to lawmakers focused on equity and workforce shortages. However, funding levels will depend on congressional appropriations, and outcomes could influence debates on federal investment in medical education versus other priorities like loan forgiveness or primary care incentives.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13], Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1]
Recent Actions
- 2025-03-14: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-03-14: Introduced in House
- 2025-03-14: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Expanding Medical Education Act — issued 2025-03-14 — PDF (10 pages)