AAMC Endorses Doctors in Our Borders Act, Conrad 30 Expansion

The AAMC sent a March 28 letter of endorsement for the Doctors in Our Borders Act(H.R. 1201) to lead sponsors of the legislation - Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.). The bipartisan bill would expand the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program by increasing the number of state-issued waivers from 30 to 100.

Conrad 30 is a key program that assists with recruiting qualified physicians and delivering care in underserved communities. The program allows states to waive the two-year home residency requirement for foreign medical graduates upon completion of their medical residencies on a J-1 visa and requires up to three years of service obligation in an underserved area. As the program currently stands, each state may sponsor up to 30 waiver applications each fiscal year for qualified J-1 visa physicians.

Lawler's corresponding press release on the bill's introductionincluded a quote from AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, who stated, "the State Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program has been a highly successful program for underserved communities to recruit both primary care and specialty physicians after they complete their medical residency training. Addressing workforce shortages and improving the health of people everywhere are key AAMC priorities, and the Doctors in our Borders Act would help address the physician workforce shortage and increase access to care by expanding the Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program. We applaud [the bill's original co-sponsors,] Reps. Lawler (R-NY), Clarke (D-NY), Baird (R-IN), Moylan (R-GU), Thanedar (D-MI), Salazar (R-FL), Ciscomani (R-AZ), Davis (D-NC), Moulton (D-MA), Riley (D-NY), and Hinson (R-IA) for their bipartisan legislation as it recognizes these physicians as a critical element of our nation's health care infrastructure, and we support the expansion of Conrad 30 to help overcome hurdles that have stymied growth of the physician workforce. The AAMC commends their bipartisan efforts and strongly supports this legislation."