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$100K H-1B fee could worsen doctor shortage in rural America, AMA warns; ‘Critical part…’
Trump’s $100K H-1B visa fee could cut the flow of foreign doctors, threatening US healthcare, especially in rural and underserved areas, AMA warns.
A significant number of doctors in the United States come to the country on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers. But Donald Trump's one-time fee of $100,000 for every application is set to disrupt the inflow of doctors in the US. What will its impact be on the country's healthcare system?
According to a report by Bloomberg, the newly imposed $100,000 fee for H-1B visa application could threaten the availability of trained physicians in the US. Especially the rural areas, where US-trained doctors do not usually practice.
The American Medical Association warns that Trump's decision could threaten the rural medical infrastructure in the US.
Bobby Mukkamala, an Indian-origin doctor from Michigan who currently heads the American Medical Association, told Bloomberg that the risks to the healthcare system could potentially be devastating.
Mukkamala believes that the newly implemented visa fee “risks shutting off the pipeline of highly trained physicians that patients depend on, especially in rural and underserved communities.” He added that the international medical graduates are a “critical part of our physician workforce.”
Mukkamala's concerns are not unfounded. As Bloomberg showed in a map representing the percentage workforce of physicians in the United States in 2022, most states had more than 3% of physicians on H-1B visas. They are concentrated in the rural areas, where there is a shortage of healthcare workers, as per the Department of Health and Human Services.
Will Physicians Be Exempted From H-1B Visa Fee?
While Trump's sweeping proclamation of the visa fee took effect on Sunday for all new visa applicants, there still seems to be scope to work out exemptions.
American Hospital Association (AHA), a trade body representing the health care facilities in the US, believes that a potential exemption could be worked out. Their concerns come amid a potential crisis for healthcare facilities in rural areas to recruit physicians.
Also read: US H-1B visa fee: Industry experts say no immediate concerns, warn of long-term impact
“We will also work with the Administration to stress the importance of including health care personnel in potential exemptions to these changes,” an AHA spokesperson was quoted saying in the Bloomberg report.
What's also positive is that the concerns seem to already be reaching the White House. When Bloomberg reached out to a White House spokesperson about the possibility of an exemption, the initial hardline tone seemed to have thawed.
“The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told the outlet in an email.
“Ultimately, the Trump Administration defers to the language in the proclamation,” he added.
