U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) recently sponsored legislation to establish fair and consistent eligibility requirements for graduate medical schools operating outside the United States and Canada.
“Medical schools outside the U.S. receiving federal funding need to meet the standards of education those taxpayer dollars were meant to fund,” Rep. Burgess said in an Aug. 8 statement. “We must close this loophole to prohibit foreign medical schools from accessing huge amounts of federal dollars at the expense of doctor education and quality.”
The congressman on July 29 introduced the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2022, H.R. 8602, which would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to receive federal funds under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which covers the administration of federal student financial aid programs.
“It is important that we level the playing field to ensure a more robust physician workforce and increased access to health care for patients,” said Rep. Burgess.
H.R. 8602 — which has garnered support from the American Osteopathic Association, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Associated Medical Colleges of New York — has been referred to the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee for consideration.