Members of Congress this week urged House and Senate leaders to include in the upcoming omnibus appropriations package AHA-supported legislation to extend for three years the Conrad State 30 program, which allows states to request J-1 visa waivers for foreign-born physicians who have completed a U.S. residency training program to work in federally designated shortage and underserved areas. The bipartisan legislation (H.R.3541/S.1810) also would increase state allocations under the program to 35 physicians per year, and provide flexibility to expand the number of waivers in states where demand exceeds that limit.

“Despite the success of the program, Congress has not been able to pass a bill reauthorizing the program for more than six years,” wrote Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who sponsored the legislation with Reps. Bradley Schneider, D-Ill., and Don Bacon, R-Neb. “For years, the authorization for the program has been extended annually through the appropriations process. Without a long-term reauthorization, doctors and hospitals have been repeatedly left in limbo, uncertain whether this vital program will continue.”

Related News Articles

Headline
Nell Buhlman, chief administrative officer and head of strategy at Press Ganey, and Chris DeRienzo, M.D., AHA chief physician executive, explore the data-…
Headline
The Senate Appropriations Committee July 31 advanced the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,…
Headline
The AHA’s Next Generation Leaders Fellowship July 29 announced its 36 fellows for the class of 2026, who will each work with mentors to address a specific…
Headline
The AHA July 24 announced it is collaborating with health care technology leader Epic to help hospitals adopt tools that support the early detection and…
Headline
The White House July 23 released an action plan with a series of more than 90 policy recommendations to expand the use of artificial intelligence. The plan…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 17 issued two letters to states regarding policies on continuous eligibility and workforce initiatives.…