Dingell Leads Michigan Delegation House Democrats in Raising Concerns About Impact of H-1B Changes on Healthcare Access

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today led her Democratic Michigan House Delegation colleagues in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State urging them to consider the impact of changes to H-1B visa process on healthcare, and to adopt exemptions for healthcare workers.<_u53a_p>

"We deeply understand the importance of investing in American workers, supporting high-paying American job opportunities, and strengthening the STEM pipeline," the lawmakers write. "However, some industries- like the healthcare industry-struggle to recruit workers for positions in rural or underserved communities and rely on the H-1B visa program to fill critical gaps. As hospitals continue to face severe shortages of healthcare workers, this program has played an essential role in allowing them to recruit highly-skilled healthcare professionals to ensure that patients' access to care is not disrupted. This has been particularly important for rural and underserved communities that have historically faced significant barriers to accessing the care they need."

Limiting primary care access has damaging cascading consequences. People who have restricted access or go without primary care are more likely to develop serious illnesses and die earlier than they would if they had a primary care provider," the lawmakers continue. "When people lose access to care, they do not stop needing healthcare. Instead, they show up later on with more acute conditions, leading to higher healthcare costs. Access to primary care is essential to both keeping communities healthy and to avoiding high-cost medical services that increase costs for everyone."

"This fee is causing serious concerns for hospitals and other employers that utilize the program, and we urge you to seriously consider the impacts this decision will have on healthcare access across America-particularly in communities that are already underserved," the lawmakers conclude. "We also urge you to offer clear guidance on how this proclamation plans to be implemented and more information regarding exemptions. As we work to bolster our domestic healthcare workforce, Congress and the administration should work together to ensure that H-1B continues to serve as a backstop to avoid communities losing further access to care.

The letter is signed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Haley Stevens, Hillary Scholten, Shri Thanedar, and Kristen McDonald Rivet.

View the full text of the letter here.