President Obama's 2015 budget calls for funding boost to pay, train primary care doctors

President Barack Obama is proposing increased funding toward medical school programs for internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine in his 2015 budget proposal.

The funding would add $5.23 billion over 10 years to train primary care residents in underserved areas. 

The American College of Physicians (ACP) released a statement requesting that Congress cooperate with Obama in order to decrease the growing need for primary care physicians in the United States.

“The proposal shows an understanding of the important role that primary care places in ensuring access to high quality and cost-conscious care. Studies show that the United States will need at least 40,000 more primary care physicians for adults by the end of the decade to meet current and anticipated demand,” says Molly Cooke, MD, FACP, president of ACP.

Obama’s proposal also aims to extend Medicaid parity payments for primary care physicians for another year at the cost of $5.44 billion.  The president is also requesting $3.95 billion to increase the National Health Service Corps, which give scholarships and loan forgiveness to primary care physicians who commit to working in underserved communities.

Some organizations are critical of cuts to teaching hospitals for training and complex care. The proposal includes almost $15 billion in cuts to the programs.