Medical, dental, and nursing students could receive federal grants covering their full tuition and required fees, in exchange for a service commitment: medical-grant recipients would practice primary care for 10 years and dental recipients would practice in rural areas for 10 years, while nursing-grant recipients take on no service obligation. Students who do not complete the required service would have part of their grants converted into federal loans, with the repayable amount capped at $50,000. The bill also authorizes grants for schools to expand enrollment — $2.8 billion for medical schools, $1.98 billion for nursing schools, and $615 million for dental schools over fiscal years 2026 through 2035 — with priority for students from rural, low-income, disadvantaged, disability, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds. Medicare would fund 50,220 new medical residency positions between fiscal years 2027 and 2036 (up to 5,022 per year), with at least 30 percent reserved for primary care and at least 15 percent for psychiatry. Teaching health centers that run graduate medical education programs would get higher per-resident payments — at least $170,000 in 2026, rising by $10,000 each year — backed by funding that climbs from about $893 million in 2026 to roughly $4.1 billion in 2035. Physicians, nurses, and dentists moving from non-rural to rural areas could also receive relocation grants of up to $20,000, funded at $1.8 billion over ten years, if they commit to practicing there for at least three years.
Average Household Impact
- Tuition grants for medical, dental, and nursing students — Full tuition and required fees covered
- Medicare-funded residency positions — 50,220 slots added over fiscal years 2027-2036
- Teaching health center funding — Per-resident payment floor raised to $170,000 in 2026, rising yearly
- Rural provider relocation grants — Up to $20,000 for physicians, nurses, and dentists moving to rural areas
Transparency & Accountability
- Reporting requirements — Enrollment-grant schools must file annual enrollment and faculty-hiring reports
- Judicial review — Barred for Medicare residency-slot distribution decisions
Congressional Summary
Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025This bill establishes grants to (1) cover the tuition of certain students at health professions schools, (2) expand enrollment at health professions schools, and (3) assist health care practitioners with relocating their practices to rural areas.The Department of Education must provide grants to students at schools of medicine, dentistry, and nursing to fully pay their tuition and required fees. Medical students must agree to practice primary care for 10 years after graduation, and dentistry students must agree to practice in a rural area for 10 years after graduation. If recipients fail to complete such service, the grants become loans requiring repayment of up to $50,000.Additionally, the bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, with a focus on psychiatry and primary care residencies. It also reauthorizes through FY2035 the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program, which supports education and training of medical students in primary care residency programs in community-based ambulatory patient care centers.The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) must provide 10-year grants to schools of medicine, dentistry, and nursing to expand student enrollment, such as through educational partnerships and modernizing programs.HRSA must also provide grants to physicians, dentists, and nurses to assist with relocating their practices to rural areas. Grant recipients must agree to practice in the new location for at least three years.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-09-30
- Date Added
- 2026-07-07
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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