Visalaw Healthcare Immigration Blog

Massachusetts Health Plan Must Cover Legal Immigrants

2012-01-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

A court in Massachusetts has ruled that the bar on state health insurance coverage for immigrants who have held permanent residency for less than five years violates the state's constitution. Legal immigrants were initially covered, but dropped a few years ago as a response to budget pressures in the Bay State.

The History of IMGs in America

2011-12-28T08:19:00.001-08:00

Lisa Vognild writes an interesting article for the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters outlining more than 60 years of international physicians coming to America to train and practice.

5th Circuit Upholds Louisiana Bar on Foreign Nurses

2011-12-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a Louisiana law that limits nurse licenses to permanent residents and citizens. The court held that non-immigrants are not a protected class entitled to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause. A similar law involving pharmacists in New York was ruled unconstitutional by a District Court and is now being appealed to the Second Circuit,

AAO: J-2s Can Adjust Status Independent of J-1 Spouses

2011-12-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

An important victory for my friend Jan Pederson and her colleague Michelle Kobler. From Bender's Immigration Bulletin:

ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOREIGN MD'S TO GET SPECIAL LICENSING CONCESSION

2010-03-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

The state legislature in Tennessee has granted a unique benefit to foreign physicians coming to St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis. Foreign physicians working at the hospital will not have to complete residency or fellowship training in the US in order to qualify for licensing in the state. Most states require a minimum of two years of US training in order to practice medicine. The law will

WILL USCIS SABOTAGE THE NEW HEALTH CARE BILL?

2010-03-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS PHYSICIAN PRACTICES UNDER DHS INVESTIGATION FOR J-1 VIOLATIONS

2010-02-16T06:39:00.001-08:00

The Las Vegas Sun reports that the Department of Homeland Security is investigating various physician practices in the Las Vegas metro area who are alleged to have placed physicians in non-underserved locations. The J-1 waivers the doctors received are based on agreeing to work full time in underserved locations, but DHS is apparently focusing on technical violations relating to the doctors

HALF OF NURSES PLAN CAREER CHANGE

2010-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

More alarming news about the growing shortage of nurses.

RECESSION SLOWS NURSING SCHOOL ADMISSIONS

2010-02-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

NURSE SHORTAGE GROWING DIRE WHILE BLACKOUT ON VISAS CONTINUES

2009-12-22T19:22:00.001-08:00

Certain voices in the nursing community are trying to make the argument that there is no nursing shortage and we need to keep protectionist policies in place. But there has been a great deal compelling evidence pointing in only one direction for many years - a nurse shortage that is already bad and will grow much worse in decades to come. Here's an article from CNN/Money that is certainly

IMMIGRANTS LOSE SUIT TO KEEP GRADY HOSPITAL RENAL CLINIC OPEN

2009-12-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

A court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the closure of the Grady Hospital renal clinic. The clinic serves a population of illegally present immigrants and there are fears that needed dialysis treatments will go undelivered as a result of the shutdown. Grady has been paying for three months of treatments at private clinics, but that time is about to end. The lawyer for the patients has

PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE LIKELY TO WORSEN AS A RESULT OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL

2009-12-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Congress is about to dramatically increase demand for doctors, but is still doing little about the supply of doctors (including reforming physician immigration rules that encourage American-trained doctors to leave).

H-1C NURSE VISA PROGRAM ABOUT TO SUNSET

2009-12-19T14:16:00.000-08:00

The little used H-1C visa program that can be used by only 500 nurses a year is going to expire Monday and I've heard nothing about extending the category.

NEW REPORT INDICATES FOREIGN HEALTH CARE WORKERS PLAYING CRITICAL ROLE IN US

2009-12-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Immigration Policy Center lays out the data showing that international professionals are playing a critical role across the US health care system and will be needed as shortages worsen in a number of fields.

SAFETY NET HOSPITALS HAVING DIFFICULTY COPING WITH UNDOCUMENTED PATIENTS

2009-11-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

This is not a new problem, but the combination of rapidly rising health care costs and the recession are making things worse. The NY Times reports on the problem by using Atlanta's Grady Hospital as an example.

AMERICAN MED SCHOOL GRADUATES INCREASE SLIGHTLY

2009-10-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Those who think you can snap your fingers and produce more doctors domestically to solve the physician shortage should be able to see from this report from the American Hospital Association that producing an extra 150,000 doctors is a gargantuan task:First-year enrollment in U.S. medical schools rose by 2% this year to nearly 18,400 students, according to data released today by the Association

H-1C PROGRAM LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED IN CSJ APPROPRIATIONS BILL

2009-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

A source has told me that the H-1C nurse visa program, which expired September 30th, is set to be extended by three years as part of the Commerce, State and Justice appropriations bill. The visa's expiration and extension have largely gone unnoticed because the visa category is limited to just 500 visas annually and its onerous requirements mean that most employers are ineligible to use the visa.

CONRAD PROGRAM TO BE EXTENDED FOR THREE YEARS

2009-10-11T19:03:00.000-07:00