New legislation introduced by U.S. Congressman Aaron Schock aims to increase the number of American physicians by 15,000 over a span of five years.
The bill opens up 3,000 new residency slots each year in hospitals around the country. The legislation would be the first to increase those slot numbers in nearly 15 years if it becomes law.
The slots, which train medical school graduates, would be primarily funded by Medicare.  Hospitals can receive up to 75 slots annually under the legislation.