Affordable and accessible healthcare has long been a national priority. However, for decades the United States has experienced a critical shortage of physicians. The addition of millions more insured Americans to the healthcare rolls under the Affordable Care Act has heightened the problem. In fact, the Association of Medical Colleges predicts the US will face a shortage of 46,000 – 90,000 physicians by the year 2025.[1] While the US is now graduating more medical students than ever before, the number of graduate medical education residency and fellowship training programs has remained static.[2] With American physicians increasingly choosing hospital-based medical specialties over primary care positions,[3] millions of vulnerable Americans are left without primary healthcare.
Fortunately, US immigration law provides an incentive to attract US-trained international medical graduates (IMGs) to parts of the country not fully served by American physicians. Since its inception in 1994, state Departments of Health across the country have used the Conrad State 30 J-1 waiver program (“Conrad 30”) to place over 12,000 IMGs in medically underserved communities where they have provided healthcare to millions of our country’s neediest citizens.
Here’s how Conrad 30 works: The majority of IMGs who complete graduate medical education in the US do so in J-1 nonimmigrant status, which carries a requirement to return to the home country for an aggregate of 2 years following completion of training before becoming eligible for an H or L visa or a green card. Named for former Senator Kent Conrad who created the program in 1994, the Conrad 30 program creates a waiver of the 2-year home residency requirement permitting each state to recommend up to 30 IMGs each year for a J-1 waiver in exchange for a commitment to work for at least 3 years treating medically underserved populations within the state. It’s the ultimate win-win: the IMG gets to stay in the US and underserved Americans get healthcare that would otherwise be denied them.
Conrad 30 has been operating as a renewable “pilot program” for over 20 years and is currently set to expire on September 30, 2015. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) have proposed legislation to permanently reauthorize Conrad 30, the “Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act,” S.1189. Thus far, the bill has not moved in Congress. It is critical that we engage with our Congressional representatives to encourage passage of this bill before the current program expires.
Conrad 30 won’t single-handedly solve the US healthcare crisis, but for 20 years it has proven a successful tool in alleviating physician shortages among minority, rural and low-income urban populations that would otherwise not have access to medical care. In light of the acknowledged nation-wide shortage of physicians, it only makes sense to use every possible tool we have at our disposal to care for underserved Americans.
Conrad 30 works. Don’t let it die. Contact your Senator today to express your support for the extension of the Conrad 30 program. (https://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup).
Written by Sarah Peterson Stensrud, Member of AILA’s Healthcare Professionals Committee and Jennifer Minear, AILA National Secretary
[1] https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/campaigns_and_coalitions/fixdocshortage/
[2] https://www.aamc.org/newsroom/newsreleases/411636/10282014.html
[3] http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/the-doctor-is-out-young-talent-is-turning-away-from-primary-care/254221/
Dear Admin,
I am looking for input from your side how to get the provision for physicians completing or have completed Conrad 30 J-1 waiver similar to NIW physicians. Otherwise why do Conrad 30, let every physician just do NIW?!
How to get Conrad 30 similar benefit as NIW physicians in terms of excluding from numerical immigration limitation for green card or moving them to Employment Based Preferences First category (from EB-2 to EB-1) including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act and any spouses or children of such alien physicians.
Any recommendations or suggestions in this regards?
There is a growing shortage of physicians in the country. Conrad 30 J-1 waiver programs helps by allowing physicians to take care of patients in medically underserved areas and provide much needed service.
The Bill S.1189 includes a provision “Excludes from numerical immigration limitations alien physicians who have completed national interest waiver requirements by working in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act and any spouses or children of such alien physicians).”
There is another provision being considered to be included in this bill which is moving National Interest Waiver from EB-2 to EB-1 category.
I would request that not only physicians who have completed national interest waiver but even Conrad 30 J-1 waiver, should be moved to Employment Based Preferences First – EB 1 category instead of Employment Based Preferences Second – EB2 category or be excluded from numerical immigration limitations.
Conrad 30 program is very important hence this bill is being introduced to make it permanent. However if same benefits (as being extended to national interest waiver in the bill) are not extended to physicians who are completing or have completed Conrad 30 J-1 waiver then it will undermine the program and will not be fair to these physicians, including me and my family. Physicians are stuck in green card backlog which is ever growing despite having well documented physician shortage in the country. Please help us who are completing or have completed Conrad 30 J-1 waiver program.
Please support Conrad 30 J-1 waiver physicians and give them same benefits as national interest waiver in terms of excluding from numerical immigration limitation for green card or moving them to Employment Based Preferences First category (from EB-2 to EB-1) including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act and any spouses or children of such alien physicians.
Any help with this will be kindly appreciated.
Please do reply.
Thank you for your input, we appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with us about this important program.