SGIM Advocacy Agenda

About The agenda

We recognize and have been responding to the many policy changes, legal rulings, and changes in leadership at the Federal Level that are of great interest and concern to many SGIM members. This document reflects the Council’s priority focus on Clinical Practice, Education, and Research policy issues. It is the 2025-2026 Health Policy Agenda for SGIM and defines the issues on which the SGIM Health Policy Committee (HPC), its staff, and consultants will work for the next year. The language in this agenda is intentionally broad, to give the Committee flexibility to adapt and consider focusing on new issues that may arise over the year.

Please be reassured that specific policy and advocacy issues are addressed in the Committee’s monthly meetings of each of the three Subcommittees (Clinical Practice, Education, and Research) and the HPC Executive Committee. In addition, the HPC and our consultants at CRD work with SGIM leadership almost daily when new health policy issues are brought to our attention.

Whenever possible, SGIM will collaborate with organizations with similar interests, whether physician groups or patient-focused. Special attention will be paid to communicating SGIM’s positions to its membership and policymakers.

SGIM meeting attendees seated at a round table, engaged in discussions.

Note: In the policy topics listed below, “Active Advocacy” refers to those highest priority issues in which SGIM members, staff and consultants will be heavily involved. “Coalition Advocacy,” refers to those issues on which primarily SGIM’s consultants will work collaboratively with other stakeholder organizations in Washington and beyond to advance SGIM’s positions.“Monitoring” refers to those issues on which SGIM’s consultants will track and advise but will not actively promote a position. SGIM members, of course, are free to advocate on any of these or other issues as they see fit.

Clinical practice

SGIM will continue its advocacy efforts to support the delivery of high-quality primary care and cognitive services that improve patient outcomes by emphasizing the role a robust primary care system plays in reducing the burden of chronic disease to improve Americans’ health.

Active Advocacy

Advocate for reforms to support a robust primary care system to ensure Americans have appropriate access to comprehensive preventive and primary care services designed to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and keep Americans healthy. This includes advocacy to implement a hybrid payment system that: (1) Invests in primary care capacity by supporting personalized, team-based care and paying for services tailored to the needs of the patient and the community; (2) Reduces or simplifies the burdensome documentation associated with many service codes, which add to systemic costs and consume clinical time that could be better spent with patients; and (3) Allows for additional, higher payment tiers based on the scope of services. Additionally, SGIM will advocate for payers to align their hybrid payment policies as this model is adopted more widely.
Support the authorization of a technical advisory committee (TAC) to ensure that evaluation and management services reflect the full range of care provided during primary care and cognitive office visits, including those delivered remotely.
Advocate for policies to support a robust Medicaid program with a comprehensive benefits and provides coverage for the greatest number of individuals possible. This includes policies to support improved efficiency of the program at the federal and state levels.
With over half of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs, ensure that the programs provide robust coverage to primary care and other medically necessary services without burdensome requirements, like prior authorization, that delay care.

Coalition Advocacy

Advocate to ensure that all patients have access to affordable high-quality health care services through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare – both traditional and Medicare Advantage plans – and other coverage mechanisms.
Support steps being taken to address substance use disorder and addiction, including measures to ensure patients have access to the necessary services to address their addiction and steps to address the disparities seen in the populations with the highest rates of substance use disorder and addiction.
Support the permanent extension of telehealth flexibilities, including the elimination of originating site and geographic restrictions and coverage of audio-only services.
Promote policies that support appropriate care and access for women, LGBTQ+, people living with HIV, and immigrant communities.

Monitoring

EDUCATION

In fulfilling their commitment to promoting public health and improving health care, SGIM members lead the education of medical students, residents, and fellows as well as faculty at academic centers, teaching hospitals, and in the community. They are leaders in developing and evaluating innovations in medical education to prepare tomorrow's clinicians to deliver the highest quality evidence-based and cost-effective clinical care. To support these efforts, SGIM will continue to focus on:

Active Advocacy

Ensure that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continues to support workforce programs to support the growth of a well-trained primary care workforce to help Americans prevent and treat the chronic conditions burdening their health as the administration reorganizes the department.
Advocate for robust investment and comprehensive reform in Medicare graduate medical education (GME), including expanding the number of GME slots available for primary care and other shortage specialties and establishing a transparent, outcomes-focused payment structure that holds institutions accountable and ensures an appropriately distributed and well-trained physician workforce equipped to meet the nation’s health care needs.

Coalition Advocacy

Support the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information relating to the health care workforce supply and demand; the development of recommendations for eliminating the barriers to recruitment and retention in primary care; policies that foster innovative education and training programs; improved mechanisms for financing education and training for careers in primary care; and research on how the growth of private equity ownership of health care facilities and provider groups may be affecting workforce stability and access to high-quality care.
Support long-term, robust funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program to protect training for the next generation of primary care physicians and address critical primary care physician workforce shortages.
Support legislation and policies regarding streamlining visa application processes for medical residents and physicians, to protect the role that International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians with J-1, H-1B, and O-1 visas play in the provision of healthcare in the US, including the essential services they provide in rural and medically under-served areas.
Protect the integrity and inclusivity of medical education accreditation standards and ensure access to federal financial aid, including student loans, for students attending accredited institutions that prepare a well-trained primary care physician workforce to meet the needs of all communities.

Monitoring

Monitor workforce policy developments in Congress and the administration and act on opportunities for SGIM member engagement and representation.
Monitor legislation and/or administrative actions that may impact education and training future physicians at VA facilities, including changes made to the Veterans Community Care Program or changes in the number of GME positions the VA currently funds.

RESEARCH

SGIM members are national and international leaders in a wide range of research, including the many subfields that fall within the broad category of health services and primary care research. The need for robust and sustained funding for research remains the Society’s priority interest. The specifics are as follows:

Active Advocacy

Advocate to ensure that the existing functions remain and biomedical and health services across HHS are funded at the highest level possible, especially at the National Institutes of Health This includes protecting research funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) in the event the institute is eliminated as well as the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) and other programs that support the training of future physician-scientists. Additionally, supporting that a minimum of 50% of the research funding should be directed to investigator-initated research.
Ensure that health services research, including primary care research, currently funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality retains a home in any reorganization of HHS. Including advocacy for research into payment models and primary care that ensures that the benefits of science extend to all health systems and populations.

Coalition Advocacy

Monitoring

Support research structures that enable SGIM members to conduct high-quality research unencumbered by restrictive policies or censorship on topics, like gun violence prevention research and gender affirming care, and support SGIM’s priorities of improving health care delivery and promoting health equity.
Support legislation and regulatory actions aimed at increasing clinical trials diversity with a particular focus to maximize representation of trial populations especially at smaller research institutions.

Every Member an advocate: Championing Comprehensive Primary Care

Advocate Nationally

Join the SGIM Health Policy Committee and speak out for practices and policies that further the mission of primary care and general internal medicine.

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