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| Wilson Supports Program to Keep Doctors |
November 17, 2004 |
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| House Passes Help for Underserved Areas
Washington– Congresswoman Heather Wilson supported legislation which passed the House today 404-4 to improve access to doctors for rural and medically underserved areas.
The bill (S. 2302) allows more foreign-born physicians to stay in the United States after medical school to practice in medically underserved areas by extending through 2006 the J-1 visa waiver program. Each state is allowed 30 of these waivers each year. Between 600 and 1,000 physicians apply each year in New Mexico.
“This program improves New Mexico’s health care by attracting more specialists and doctors,” said Wilson. “We know that some rural hospitals in New Mexico would have closed without this program. It helps with our physician shortage.”
In addition to reauthorizing the program, the legislation made some important improvements, including allowing state agencies to have more discretion over where 5 of the 30 slots are used and clarifying that J-1 visa waivers are exempt from other numerical limitations on visa programs.
Foreign nationals are required to return to their home country for at least two years after completing their studies before being allowed to return to the U.S. to practice medicine. However, under this program, the waiver allows them to remain in the United States after medical school as long as they practice in an area with physician shortages.
New Mexico currently has 78 J-1 visa waiver recipients working in underserved areas of the state. New Mexico has used all 220 waivers available to the state since the program began in 1994.
According to the New Mexico Health Policy Commission, New Mexico has a only 1.69 practicing physicians for every 1,000 people, while the national average is 2.42 physicians for every 1,000 people.
The bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously by a voice vote, has already passed the Senate and will be sent to the President for signature.
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