Congress pushes hospitals to report on osteopathic doctor discrimination

What it does

This bill requires hospitals with Medicare-approved medical residency training programs to report annually to the federal government how many applicants they receive from osteopathic and allopathic medical schools, how many they accept from each, and to affirm they consider candidates from both types of schools and accept licensing exam scores from either pathway. Hospitals that fail to submit this information face a 2% annual reduction in Medicare payments, starting in fiscal year 2026. The bill aims to increase transparency and equitable treatment of osteopathic doctors (D.O.s) in residency selection.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a reporting and transparency requirement paired with a financial penalty for non-compliance, designed to promote equitable consideration of osteopathic candidates in residency programs. It is not a mandate to hire, but a disclosure and accountability tool.

What the text implies

• The 2% Medicare payment reduction is cumulative and could reach 10% or more by 2030 if hospitals persistently fail to report, creating substantial financial pressure on non-compliant institutions.
• Public disclosure of acceptance rates by school type may create reputational pressure on hospitals perceived as discriminating, potentially shifting residency selection practices beyond the bill's explicit requirements.
• The bill does not define 'equitable treatment' or require any specific acceptance ratio, leaving hospitals room to report low D.O. acceptance rates without legal consequence, though with reputational risk.
• Osteopathic medical schools and their graduates may see increased leverage in residency negotiations if hospitals fear public scrutiny of their selection practices.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill increases transparency in medical residency selection and creates financial incentives for hospitals to report on and potentially improve equitable treatment of osteopathic candidates, who have historically faced discrimination in residency matching. Citizens benefit from greater visibility into whether hospitals are fairly considering qualified candidates regardless of medical school type, and the reporting requirement may reduce barriers to entry for D.O.s seeking training positions.

Who stands to gain

• osteopathic medical schools and graduates (improved access to residency positions)
• hospitals (potential Medicare payment reductions create incentive to comply, but no direct subsidy)

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Medicare, Osteopathic medical schools, Allopathic medical schools, Hospitals with approved medical residency training programs, Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX), US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Social Security Act Section 1886

Where it stands

21 cosponsors: 16 Republicans, 5 Democrats.

• Mar 25, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 25, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

7 lobbying clients named this bill on 13 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $6,286,200 in lobbying spend. A filing names 7 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 86% of bills with at least one filing.

Diana Harshbarger, the sponsor, reported $727,520 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Medical Association — $5,643,000 on 2 filings
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine — $240,000 on 2 filings
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine — $100,000 on 2 filings
• Midwestern University — $100,000 on 2 filings
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine — $80,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 21, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.