Lee Introduces Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is introducing today the Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act to restore competition in the medical residency system by repealing a special federal antitrust exemption. The bill targets a 2004 provision that shields the medical residency matching system from antitrust laws, limiting competition and restricting economic freedom for medical residents. Representative Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

"For decades, a government-protected system dictated where new doctors work and what their compensation would be," said Senator Mike Lee. "The Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act restores the rule of law by ensuring this system is no longer exempt from antitrust scrutiny."

Background

Medical residency is a required step for physicians seeking to practice medicine in the United States. Nearly all residency positions are filled through a centralized system operated by the National Resident Matching Program, commonly known as "the Match."

Under this system, applicants and residency programs submit ranked preferences, and an algorithm assigns placements. Participants are bound by the results, and residents are prohibited from negotiating salary or seeking alternative offers outside the Match.

In 2004, Congress passed an antitrust exemption as part of the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004, shielding the Match from legal challenges without hearings or debate.

The Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act will:

• Repeal the 2004 antitrust exemption for the residency matching system
• Subject the Match to the same antitrust laws as other hiring systems
• Allow medical residents to pursue legal recourse against anticompetitive practices
• Restore competitive pressures that can improve wages and working conditions

Importantly, the bill does not eliminate or restructure the Match itself-it simply removes its antitrust exemption.

Why This Matters

• The current system has resulted in:
• Stagnant, below-market wages: First-year residents earned about $66,712 in 2024-far below comparable medical professionals
• No ability to negotiate compensation or terms
• A bottleneck in the physician pipeline: Roughly 20% of U.S. medical graduates fail to secure residency positions each year
• Artificial constraints on physician supply, worsening shortages

Access the full text of the bill here.

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