U.S. Senator Mike Lee introduced the Restoring Rights of Medical Residents Act on Apr. 16, aiming to remove a federal antitrust exemption that shields the medical residency matching system from competition laws. The legislation, which has a companion bill in the House sponsored by Representative Victoria Spartz, seeks to subject the National Resident Matching Program—known as “the Match”—to standard antitrust scrutiny.
The issue affects thousands of new doctors each year who are required to use the Match system for placement into medical residencies. Under current rules, residents cannot negotiate salaries or seek offers outside of this centralized process, which an algorithm determines based on ranked preferences from applicants and programs.
“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.”
Congress granted an antitrust exemption for the Match in 2004 as part of broader pension legislation without public hearings or debate. According to supporters of Lee’s bill, this has contributed to stagnant wages for first-year residents—who earned about $66,712 in 2024—and created bottlenecks that leave roughly one-fifth of U.S. medical graduates without residency positions each year.
Lee has promoted constitutional principles and individual liberty throughout his career as a U.S. senator for Utah according to his official website. He grew up in Provo as a fourth-generation Utahn and is the son of legal scholar Rex E. Lee according to his official website. His background includes degrees in political science and law from Brigham Young University according to his official website, clerking for Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., and serving on Senate committees focused on constitutional issues according to his official website.
The proposed legislation does not eliminate or restructure the Match itself but removes its protection from antitrust challenges with hopes it will increase competition among hospitals offering residencies and improve wages and working conditions.
