Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, yesterday introduced AHA-supported legislation (S. 948) to improve and extend the Conrad State 30 program until 2021. First enacted in 1994, the program allows state health departments to request J-1 visa waivers for up to 30 foreign physicians per year to work in federally designated Health Professions Shortage Areas or Medically Underserved Areas. The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act would increase the state allocations to 35 physicians per year and provide flexibility to further expand the number of waivers in states where the demand exceeds the limit, among other improvements. “The latest extension of the Conrad State 30 Program will expire later this year, which is why we urge action to extend this critical program,” AHA said. “Without timely reauthorization, patient access to care in the many communities that have benefited from these physicians may be threatened. We also support the program improvements contained in the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act as part of this extension and stand ready to work with you and your colleagues to move this legislation forward.”

Related News Articles

Headline
By understanding the attitudes and beliefs that drive patient behavior, health care organizations “can design messaging that promotes positive health outcomes…
Headline
Rebecca Chickey, AHA’s senior director of behavioral health, talks with Dr. Arpan Waghray, CEO of Providence Well-Being Trust, and Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA’s…
Headline
The shortage of behavioral health care professionals is a serious public health issue, particularly in rural areas. In rural Iowa, some care providers have…
Headline
During a roundtable live-streamed this week from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, CEOs from Dartmouth Health, Maine Health and The University of Vermont…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week proposed changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program intended to improve manufacturer data integrity…
Perspective
He was born in a tiny cabin in rural Virginia in 1851. Displaying a natural talent for medicine at an early age, he attended the University of Virginia’s…