Trump Visa Fee Could Exacerbate Alabama Nursing Shortage
In the 1950s and 60s the Philippines became a major conduit for nurses to fill a serious shortage in the profession in the United States and more particularly in Tuscaloosa. Their arrival was greeted with much fanfare from local officials and media coverage.
Today there is another nursing shortage. Thousands of nurses are expected to leave the profession in Alabama alone over the next few years, adding further strain to an already stressed healthcare system.
The Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) has raised concerns about the potential crisis created by some 39,000 nurses in Alabama indicating they will retire within the next five years. that has prompted the board to seek multiple strategies to retain existing nurses and attract new ones to the workforce.
However, recruiting foreign trained nurses and doctors will not be able to fill the gap this time around. A $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa petitions implemented by the Trump Administration makes it economically unviable.
The New Democrat Coalition Health Care Working Group, chaired by West Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-7) has written a letter to the Department of Homeland Security to exempt health care workers from the new H-1B visa fee.
"The H-1B program does not displace healthcare workers, it helps keep our health care system afloat. Especially as providers are facing rising costs due to the Big Ugly Law’s (P.L. 119-21) cuts to Medicaid and the expiration of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits, our health care providers cannot afford these additional fees. These visa fees will be especially burdensome for providers in rural and underserved areas, which are already under threat of closure and facing the worst workforce shortages"
The letter asks the administration to exempt qualified nurses and doctors from the new fee in order to prevent shortages and interruptions in healthcare, especially in rural areas which make up the majority of Rep. Sewell's congressional district.
The working group's communication was forwarded to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday. There has been no response from DHS or the White House so far.
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