Lawmakers urge administration to exempt radiologists and other healthcare workers from new $100,000 visa fee
A group of bipartisan lawmakers are pleading their case to Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, hoping the agency will exempt radiologists and other healthcare workers from paying a newly instated H-1B visa fee.
In September, the Trump administration, via presidential proclamation, announced that a $100,000 filing fee would be attached to all H-1B visa petitions. The administration cited abuse of the program as the driver behind the charge, suggesting it had been “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American Workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”
“The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security,” the proclamation stated.
Numerous medical societies, including both the American College of Radiology and Society for Interventional Radiology, pushed back against the move, cautioning the administration it could exacerbate ongoing physician shortages. Now, a group of lawmakers, backed by the American Hospital Association, are echoing similar sentiments with respect to the healthcare workforce.
The letter, led by Reps. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., and Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., has been signed by 100 lawmakers who support exempting healthcare workers from fee. Co-signees warned that the fee could be especially consequential for rural and urban safety net hospitals, which could be pushed “to their financial brink” if they are required to absorb the charge on behalf of their staff members.
“Healthcare organizations must be able to recruit staff in the most cost-effective manner so they can use their financial resources to hire as many caregivers as possible to take care of their communities," the lawmakers wrote. "Rural hospitals and urban safety net hospitals face uncommon recruitment and retention issues and will most acutely feel the effects of the $100,000 fee. These hospitals rely heavily on the H-1B visa to maintain adequate staffing and offer comprehensive services in high-need areas."
The fee was implemented as the radiology workforce has been hindered by ongoing shortages not just of physicians, but of supportive staff, such as radiologic technologists, as well. And the staffing woes are expected to persist for years to come, potentially through 2055, according to some estimates.
The full letter can be found here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.