Legislation introduced on Feb. 25 by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) aims to increase the number of doctors working in America’s rural and medically underserved areas.
“Too many rural areas in North Carolina and across the country lack the healthcare workforce needed to provide quality and timely care,” Sen. Tillis said. “This bipartisan legislation will allow American-trained doctors to help fill those gaps so we can expand access to critical health care in medically underserved and health professional shortage areas.”
Sen. Tillis introduced the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, S. 709, alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and two other original cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities.
Specifically, S. 709 would reauthorize the Conrad 30 program, which allows international doctors who have completed their residency training in the U.S. to remain in the country under the condition that they practice in areas experiencing physician shortages, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers. The “30” refers to the number of doctors per state that can participate in the program.
Generally, doctors from other countries working in America on J-1 visas must return to their home country for two years after their residency has ended before they can apply for another visa or green card. The Conrad 30 program permits doctors to stay in the U.S. without having to return home if they agree to practice in an underserved area for three years, the summary says.
If enacted, S. 709 also would improve the process for obtaining a visa and allow for the program to be expanded beyond 30 slots if certain thresholds are met, while protecting small states’ slots.
The bill also would allow the spouses of doctors to work; provide worker protections to prevent the doctors from being mistreated; and allow physicians who serve in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility or health professional shortage area for five years to get expedited consideration for a green card, the summary says.
The legislation has been endorsed by more than 50 organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Academy of Neurology, the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, and Physicians for American Healthcare Access.