CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) applauds the introduction of bipartisan legislation to exempt physicians and other health care professionals from the $100,000 filing fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The bill (PDF) aligns with the AMA’s efforts to build and maintain a strong health care workforce to serve the needs of all patients.
International medical graduates (IMGs) make up about one in four practicing physicians in the U.S., often working in underserved areas with higher rates of poverty and chronic disease. The $100,000 filing fee for H-1B petitions adds significant costs for hospitals and private practices, making it more difficult to hire physicians and other health care professionals. The added cost will worsen shortages, increase wait times, and force patients to travel farther for care.
“Patients across the country are feeling the effects of the growing physician shortage,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD. “Medicare patients and people in rural and underserved areas already struggle to get the care they need. In many such communities, international medical graduates play a vital role in providing care and ensuring patients can see a doctor when they need one. The AMA supports this legislation to ensure the new $100,000 fee does not make it harder to recruit highly skilled physicians.”
The AMA thanks Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) for introducing the H-1Bs for the Physicians and Healthcare Workforce Act and urges Congress to act quickly to protect patients’ access to care.
Last year, the AMA and 53 leading medical societies urged (PDF) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to exempt physicians from the $100,000 H-1B visa application fee. The groups called on DHS to issue guidance clarifying that physicians, residents, and fellows are essential to maintaining a strong health care workforce and should be categorically exempt from the fee.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
