AAFP Statement: Proposed Cuts Threaten Training Programs for Family Physicians

Statement attributable to:
Michael O. Fleming, M.D., FAAFP
President
American Academy of Family Physicians

LEAWOOD, Kan. - The American Academy of Family Physicians is deeply disappointed that the funding level proposed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education cuts by nearly 22 percent the only federal program that funds family medicine training. The subcommittee proposes slashing funding of Sec. 747 of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act by nearly $18 million for FY 05. This proposed cut follows a $10 million cut for Sec. 747 in FY 04.

These cuts represent a disturbing trend for health care in this country. Family physicians are the backbone of the health care delivery system in the United States, particularly in rural and underserved communities. In fact, more than a third of all counties in the United States, with a combined population of more than 40 million, depend on family physicians to avoid designation as primary care health professions shortage areas. In addition, more than 50 percent of the physicians who staff the nation's Community Health Centers are family physicians.

Sec. 747 of the federal Public Health Service Act was designed to address the shortage of primary care physicians in America and it is working, according to a study from The Robert Graham Center: Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care published in the June 2002 issue of "Family Medicine." The study found that from 1981 to 1993, 13,559 more family physicians graduated from Title VII-funded schools than from schools without Title VII support. The program is achieving its goals and ensuring that quality health care is available for rural and underserved individuals throughout the country.

We encourage Congress to consider these facts and act to restore full funding for Title VII health professions grants.