Cedar Rapids Today

Jan 18 2024

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02) has joined forces with Congressman Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) and Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) to introduce the bipartisan Districting Our Country’s Transfer of Residency Slots (DOCTORS) Act. The purpose of this act is to tackle the nationwide physician shortage by reallocating unused waivers from the Conrad 30 waiver program to states that have used their maximum number of waivers.

The Conrad 30 waiver program allows foreign-born medical school graduates who came to the United States on a J-1 visa to bypass the requirement of returning to their home country upon completing the J-1 exchange visitor program. These waivers are distributed on the condition that the recipients agree to practice medicine in areas that are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, Medically Underserved Areas, or Medically Underserved Populations. Each state receives 30 waivers, but as of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, only 24 states used their maximum allocation while 376 went unused.

Under the DOCTORS Act, state agencies would be required to report the number of unused waivers they retained at the end of each fiscal year. The Secretary of State would then calculate the total number of unused waivers and distribute them equally to the states that used their maximum allocation in the previous fiscal year. This redistribution would allow the United States to retain foreign physicians without increasing the number of visas.

The United States is projected to face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033. By reallocating these unused waivers, the DOCTORS Act aims to address this shortage and incentivize high-quality medical professionals to practice in rural and underserved communities.

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson expressed her support for the legislation, stating, "The DOCTORS Act will bring more medical professionals to our state to help address the current healthcare worker shortage and ensure rural Iowans have access to high-quality healthcare."

Congressman Troy Nehls highlighted the impact of reclaiming unused waivers, saying, "Reclaiming unused waivers from the previous fiscal year is a simple, common-sense approach to address the critical nationwide physician shortages, without increasing the number of visas."

Congressman Brad Schneider echoed the sentiment, stating, "The DOCTORS Act is a commonsense measure to ensure unused Conrad 30 waivers don't go to waste, but rather help offset physician shortages in states that utilize the program the most."

The DOCTORS Act has also garnered support from Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and several other members of Congress who recognize the need to address the physician shortage in their respective regions.

Furthermore, the DOCTORS Act is endorsed by prominent medical organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Steven P. Furr, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, expressed his support for the legislation, stating, "The Conrad 30 Waiver Program allows international medical school graduates to stay in the U.S. after residency and practice in health professional shortage areas, providing care in areas that need it the most. This critical legislation will reallocate unused waiver slots from the program to states that need more physicians practicing in rural and underserved areas."

The DOCTORS Act is an important step towards addressing the urgent physician workforce shortage in the United States. It aims to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their location, have access to high-quality healthcare providers. With the support of lawmakers and medical organizations, this bipartisan effort brings hope for a future with improved healthcare access for all.