CEI’s champion of letter-writing, Alex Nowrasteh, has a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal today advocating removing the cap on H-1B visas to encourage more doctors to practice in the U.S. As Alex points out:
In 2005, a paltry 7,218 medical and health-care professionals earned H-1B visas, while many were denied. A cap on the number of doctors and medical professionals entering the U.S. discourages health-care access and raises costs. The H-1B visa cap should be removed along with other barriers to the migration of foreign-born doctors and medical professionals. Training more American doctors is important for tomorrow, but looking abroad can help lower medical costs and improve access today.
Also worth noting is the succinct letter following Alex’s by Harry Deloidian:
Convert all law schools to medical schools. That would solve more than one problem.
THe H-1B cap is not yet filled. Raising it will not change thing.
It will be filled by next year. Plus there are many “other barriers” to doctor’s successful migration as stated in the letter such as the visa only lasting 6 years and it being tied to a single employer. Immigration may only be one issue constricted health care access, but it’s a big one.