Fair Access In Residency Act of 2025; FAIR Act of 2025
Summary
The Fair Access In Residency Act of 2025 (FAIR Act) aims to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. It mandates that hospitals with approved medical residency programs report data on osteopathic and allopathic applicants to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This data includes the number of applicants and acceptances from each type of medical school.
Expected Effects
Hospitals failing to comply with the reporting requirements will face a 2% reduction in Medicare payments for discharges. The Secretary of HHS will publish the collected data on a public website. The Act explicitly states that it does not federalize medical education or mandate specific acceptance quotas.
Potential Benefits
- Increased transparency in residency program admissions.
- Encourages hospitals to consider both osteopathic and allopathic applicants.
- Public availability of data may promote fairer practices.
- Could lead to a more diverse physician workforce.
- May improve access to healthcare in underserved areas by broadening the pool of potential residents.
Potential Disadvantages
- Increased administrative burden on hospitals.
- Potential for unintended consequences if hospitals manipulate data to avoid penalties.
- Risk of hospitals focusing on meeting reporting requirements rather than improving the quality of residency programs.
- The 2% payment reduction may negatively impact hospital finances.
- No guarantee that increased transparency will lead to actual changes in acceptance rates.
Constitutional Alignment
The FAIR Act appears to align with the Constitution, particularly Article I, Section 8, which grants Congress the power to provide for the general welfare. By promoting transparency and equitable treatment in medical residency programs, the Act can be argued to improve healthcare access and quality, thus contributing to the general welfare. The Act does not appear to infringe upon any specific constitutional rights or freedoms.
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).