Writing op-eds won’t solve N.J. doctor shortage | Letter
Updated Dec 21, 2020;
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In their recent op-ed, ”Here’s how we fix New Jersey’s doctor shortage ….,” U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., and Bill Pascrell Jr.,D-9th Dist., correctly identify the cap on the number of graduate medical education slots in New Jersey (and the rest of the country) as the main cause of the physician shortage.
What the lawmakers fail to address is the reason for that cap. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 set this cap because the primary source of funding for these residency slots is the Medicare system. In order to increase the cap, Medicare funding would need to increase. Since that system is already on the brink of bankruptcy, that can’t happen without a substantial increase in Medicare revenue — supported by taxes.