Insurance approval delays and a lack of options for care after leaving the hospital are the most significant factors delaying patient recovery
JULY 29. 2026 – Tallahassee, Fla. — Florida’s congressional delegation urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve and renew critical funding for graduate medical education (GME) programs in Florida.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean spearheaded the request and worked closely with the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) to gather signatures from the delegation on a letter to CMS that urged the agency to work closely with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to advance critical Medicaid funding for several GME programs that train the next generation of physicians. Medicaid currently helps fund the training of more than 7,000 medical residents statewide. More than 60% of medical residents end up staying and practicing where they did their medical residency. Building and sustaining graduate medical education training for the next generation of physicians is key to addressing the ever-growing demand for healthcare in Florida.
Florida has been disadvantaged for decades by a 30-year-old Medicare funding formula that historically favors states like Massachusetts and New York with established graduate medical education programs. Florida’s population has grown by nine million people in the last 30 years without the benefit of critical federal Medicare funding to help train physicians and support our physician workforce needs.
The Florida Legislature wisely understood they could not wait for the federal government to address this out-of-date formula and established state-sponsored and Medicaid-funded graduate medical education programs. CMS is now withholding support for new GME programs and requiring long-established programs to sunset pending federal approval of some yet-to-be-determined new methodology.
Florida faces a physician shortage that is larger than either Texas or California. “For patients, these shortages translate into longer wait times for appointments, delayed diagnoses, overcrowded emergency departments, and more difficulty accessing specialty care,” said Mary Mayhew, President and CEO of FHA. “As one of the fastest growing states in the country, Florida’s demand for physicians continues to grow as well. A physician shortage is projected to reach 32,000 by 2038.”
In their letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, members of Florida’s congressional delegation highlighted the importance of the GME program explaining that, “this financing system rewards historical training capacity rather than current healthcare needs, preserving structural inequities that make it substantially more difficult for high-growth states to train the physicians their residents need today.”
“Every day the federal government continues to delay their approval of this funding is another day we lose to not training the primary and specialty care physicians needed to meet the medical needs of Florida’s rapidly growing and aging population,” she added.
At a time when Florida faces one of the nation’s most significant physician shortages, preserving Medicaid-funded graduate medical education is more important than ever. Prompt CMS action will help ensure hospitals can continue training the physicians needed to meet the health care demands of Florida’s growing population and safeguard access to care for patients throughout the state.
ABOUT FHA
Founded in 1927, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) is the leading voice for health care in the State of Florida. Through representation and advocacy, education and informational services, the Florida Hospital Association supports the mission of over 260 hospitals and health care systems to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. Led by President and CEO Mary Mayhew, the Florida Hospital Association is located in Tallahassee and is governed by a Board of Trustees and officers elected by the member institutions. To learn more, visit www.fha.org.
