Nevada Legislative Committee On Health Care Conducts Hearings On J-1 Visa Program Reform

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 15 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The J-1 visa waiver program is a "win-win" situation for Nevada and participating physicians, but its reputation has been damaged by employers who abuse the system, Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, said at a state Legislative Committee on Health Care meeting on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Sun reports (Allen, Las Vegas Sun, 2/13). The program allows foreign physicians to practice in medically underserved communities of the state.

A Sun investigation of the program in September 2007 found that some foreign physicians were forced by their sponsors to work up to 100 hours per week, were being "cheated out of their salaries" and "diverted from the patients" in underserved areas that they were supposed to help (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 1/30).

Matheis said the program is essential because it allows the state to direct vital medical care to people in communities with limited access. However, some employers have abused the system without getting caught because, as sponsors of the visiting physicians' visas, they are in a position to fire them and force them to leave the country. The state recently announced a series of corrective steps to address the abuses, but Matheis said one issue that still needs to be discussed is providing whistleblower protection for foreign physicians. "They should be able to go to the authorities and say, 'This is wrong' and not be punished for it," Matheis said (Las Vegas Sun, 2/13).

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