A medical historian told me that there are legit concerns about the U.S. relying on foreign providers:
➡️It takes providers away from lower-income countries w/ even greater health needs+staffing shortages
➡️It shows that the U.S isn't investing enough to expand health education and make it affordable.

Some ppl I interviewed said concerns about H-1Bs in tech seem legit but that in health care, there are literally not enough people to hire in the U.S.

Attorney: “It’s not like there’s a surplus of American physicians or nurses waiting in the wings to fill in those positions."

Trump's proclamation accused the tech world of abusing H-1B visas. But the new fee applies to all fields.

Medical historian: "The health care industry wasn't even considered. They're going to be collateral damage, +to such an extreme degree that it was clearly not thought about at all."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, told me he's concerned what the new fee means for health care+ businesses in South Dakota.

His office did not respond to questions about whether he's heard from the administration regarding potential waivers for health workers.

Homeland Security officials, who administer the H-1B program, directed my questions to the White House.

The White House did not answer questions about individual waiver timelines or the possibility of a categorical exemption for the health care industry.

The American Hospital Association, two national rural health orgs, + more than 50 medical societies have asked Noem to give the health care industry exemptions from the new fee.

“A blanket exception for healthcare providers is the simplest path forward,” the rural orgs wrote.

The fee will be waived only in an “extraordinarily rare circumstance" when “no American worker” is available for the position and requiring a company to pay $100,000 would “significantly undermine” U.S. interests.

An attorney called those standards “exceptionally high.”

Options for rural facilities who can't find U.S.-based providers:
➡️Pay $100K visa fee
➡️Pay an attorney, wait to see if an exemption is granted
➡️Leave position unfilled, creating more work for providers + longer wait times for patients

A rural North Dakota hospital has been trying to hire a lab tech for months.

No one from the U.S. has applied. But 30+ from the Philippines+Nigeria have.

To hire one of them, the hospital will have to pay the new $100K fee or hire an immigration attorney to request an exemption

➡️Nearly 25% of physicians in the U.S. went to medical school outside the U.S. or Canada.
➡️16% percent of registered nurses in the U.S. are immigrants.
➡️14% of physician assistants, nurse practitioners + midwives who work in U.S. hospitals are immigrants.

Trump's proclamation accused the tech industry of abusing H-1B visas. But the new fee applies to all fields.

Harvard prof: "The health care industry wasn't even considered. They're going to be collateral damage, and to such an extreme degree that it was clearly not thought about at all."

Always important to remember that this is because these robots are "faking" being human

Theyre actually capable of way more and way weirder stuff