As the U.S. baby boomer population ages and millions of uninsured Americans obtain new health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, our national medical needs continue to increase. This year, the Association of American Medical Colleges published a study predicting that the U.S. will face a shortage of 46,000 to 90,000 physicians by the year 2025. Further, a 2015 study published by the North Texas Regional Extension Center shows that in Texas alone, 35 counties have no physicians and 80 counties have five or less.
Our physician shortage has been a long-standing problem. In 1994, the Conrad 30 Waiver Program was created to address this shortage by encouraging U.S. trained international medical graduates (IMGs) to employ their skills in medically underserved communities. The program created a mutually beneficial relationship: Most IMGs use the J-1 nonimmigrant status while completing their U.S. medical education. The J-1 status often requires IMGs to return to their home country for an aggregate of two years after their training before they are eligible for a green card or an H or L visa (visas that allow them to work in the U.S. temporarily). Under the Conrad 30 Waiver Program, IMGs can opt to work for at least three years in certain medically underserved communities in exchange for a “J-1 waiver” that waives the 2-year home residency requirement. Each state can recommend a J-1 waiver for up to 30 IMGs per year, and since the Conrad 30 Waiver Program’s inception, over 12,000 IMGs have been placed in medically underserved communities. The result: millions of our neediest Americans receive healthcare while IMGs can stay put in the U.S. and apply for a green card or an H or L visa.
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