Frank Pallone: “I rise in support of H.R. 4858, a bill to improve access to physicians in medically underserved areas. In many rural…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 4858, a bill to improve access to physicians in medically underserved areas. In many rural areas of the country, we are experiencing an enormous shortage of qualified doctors. For this reason, the J-1 visa waiver program was established on the State and Federal level. This program allowed foreign medical graduates to come to the United States on a J-1 visa for up to 3 years to train in accredited residency programs in rural, underserved parts of the country. Mr. Speaker, the impetus behind accepting physicians from other countries and training them in American residency positions is to attract physicians to provide care to the medically underserved who live in rural areas where doctors trained in the United States do not want to practice. The law states that once the residency program is complete, the doctors are required to return to their country of origin for two years. However, the Federal government and states have the authority to waive the requirements if it is in the United States' interest to keep the physician here.”