As a student pursuing Biomedical Engineering at Brown, I am surrounded by “pre-meds.” Research, clinical experience, organic chemistry grades, and the MCAT represent just a small portion of the lengthy checklist of requirements pre-medical students across the country feel pressure to complete. Students face an acceptance rate of approximately 42 percent at accredited medical schools in the United States. Brown students fare better than the average student—they are typically admitted at a rate of about 80 percent. If Brown students are worried about their chances of being accepted to medical school, students across the country are probably feeling the same.
While US colleges have a surplus of students who want to pursue careers in medicine, our country does not have enough doctors. The population of the United States is aging; by 2034, there will be a deficit of up to 124,000 white coats. Evidently, there is a disconnect between the fervent undergraduate desire to practice medicine and the number of trained physicians available to Americans. This gap is driven by insufficient funding for graduate medical education (GME) and physician burnout, both of which must be addressed by American politicians in order to avoid an imminent public-health crisis.
The American physician shortage will continue to worsen as the demand for doctors outpaces the supply. A Kaiser Family Foundation report published in 2024 found that 92 million people live in Health Professional Shortage Areas and more than 15,000 practitioners are needed to close the gap. This lack of health professionals, especially primary care specialists, causes patients to experience delays in accessing critical care. While these numbers are bleak, they are only expected to get worse.
As the American population ages, baby boomers are spending more time at the doctor’s office. By 2034, people aged 65 and older will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in history. This major demographic shift directly contributes to the physician shortage: Elderly people need to go to the doctor’s office more often. A Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on office visits found that Americans over 65 have an annual visit rate of 550 times per 100 seniors. This comes in close second to infants (596 per 100) and blows the United States average—267 annual visits per 100 individuals—out of the water.
Aging is not isolated to people who seek medical care—it also impacts medical providers. Health care professionals are aging, and as a result, the United States is “facing a physician retirement cliff,” according to James Taylor, group president at health care staffing agency AMN Healthcare. While the aging population is a main contributor to the physician shortage, unless we find a fountain of youth, there is no way to reverse this demographic shift. Other solutions to address the issue are essential.
To understand how American politicians can address this public health issue, one must understand the obstacles that stand between declaring “pre-med” and becoming a practicing physician. First, pre-medical students must complete their undergraduate coursework—which includes surviving organic chemistry and biochemistry. They then take the MCAT and apply to medical school. While a Brunonian still faces a daunting acceptance rate, medical schools have been working to increase enrollment by over 35 percent since 2002. Growth in the number of medical students has slightly helped to address our shortage of physicians. However, it is not enough.
When a student leaves medical school, they must face graduate medical education. GME consists of specialized training (think early Grey’s Anatomy) and is essential to addressing the physician gap. Uncle Sam is by far the biggest contributor to GME funding. Medicare accounts for roughly 71-75 percent of public funding for GME, with Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration contributing 16 and 10 percent respectively. However, like many line items relating to healthcare in the American political system, these avenues remain underfunded. Congress has only increased the number of Medicare-funded GME slots twice since the 90s: once in 2021 and again in 2023. Together, they added 1,200 additional slots, with a maximum of 200 slots given per year. This lack of substantial increases in Medicare GME funding has exacerbated the current physician shortage and will continue to worsen the issue if Congress does not take quick and meaningful action. While expanding opportunities for GMEs is essential, the problems preventing the profession from growing continue beyond training.
Physician burnout has a clear impact on the healthcare shortage: Professionals cut their hours or leave the field altogether. 35 percent of doctors considered hanging up their stethoscopes in 2025. While this burnout is a medical issue, many of its causes are political: doctors report disheartenment as false claims about healthcare are circulated by those in power, and others are leaving the field due to the excessive administrative demands of health insurance. When people enter the medical field, they often do so with a desire to help people in need, not to appease health insurance companies. However, insurance red tape, such as prior authorization, which is the need to get treatment pre-approved to ensure it will be covered, has begun to consume increasing amounts of physicians’ time. According to an American Medical Association survey, physicians are completing an average of 39 prior authorization reports each week, which take time away from patient care and put mental stress on healthcare professionals. Congress must take steps to address these burdensome processes built into the American insurance system.
If Congress does not effectively address the physician shortage, they are failing the American public and every student excited to pursue medicine at the undergraduate level. When surrounded by people eager to become doctors, the physician shortage seems peculiar, but when it becomes clear that broken healthcare policy is responsible, it is no longer an abnormal phenomenon. It is no surprise that Congress does not give enough funding to Medicare GME programs, because politicians in Washington are constantly talking about cutting Medicare. It is no surprise that doctors are tired of dealing with American insurance companies, because many people are tired of dealing with insurance. To ensure that Americans get the healthcare they need and that those who wish to pursue medicine are successful, Congress must increase funding for Medicare GME and pass legislation to lessen the burden of health insurance bureaucracy on medical professionals. As a student at Brown, I know many pre-medical students. Congress has the power to determine if I will know as many doctors in 30 years.
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