Passing the HWRA Could Be a Matter of Life and Death
Unprecedented challenges require innovative solutions. As America’s healthcare sector continues to suffer the long-term consequences of the pandemic, it is important that policymakers enact thoughtful legislation to rehabilitate the crippled sector. The recently introduced, bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act leverages the power of international healthcare professionals to account for critical shortages in labor plaguing the healthcare industry.
America is in the midst of a healthcare crisis that has lasted far too long. Since the onset of COVID-19, healthcare professionals have fled the field in droves. Exacerbated by widespread burnout, long term stress, and waning resources, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing released a report which found that over 100,000 registered nurses had left the profession entirely. McKinsey estimates that by 2025, the U.S. will experience a shortage of up to 450,000 nurses—approximately 20% of the entire workforce.
In short, the national medical workforce shortage has been decimating the healthcare sector long after what many consider the conclusion of the pandemic, and it is putting all Americans at risk. A report by the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment (AAIHR) found that 78% of healthcare professionals believe that strained staffing has reached an “unsafe level.” A study by ConnectRN found that 90% of nurses believe the quality of patient care has suffered due the nursing shortage. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients in the care of hospitals with below-target RN staffing levels had a 2 to 7% increase in risk of mortality. In short, the welfare of our medical professionals can quickly become a matter of life and death.
The time is now for politicians to act and support this all-too-critical component of American wellbeing. Legislators must expeditiously pass the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act to give medical facilities the resources they need.
On this front, international medical professionals can play a critical role.
The HWRA would re-capture forty thousand previously issued but unused immigrant visas and re-distribute them to qualified healthcare professionals seeking employment in the United States. The bill does not call for the creation of new visas—it merely capitalizes resources which will otherwise go to waste. To further exacerbate the nursing shortage, visa retrogression occurred in early 2023 in which all available visas have already been allocated.
Nearly 100 million Americans currently reside in a “health professional shortage area.” Now is not the time to freeze applications for individuals who can play a life-altering role in the lives of millions. These highly trained professionals are required to demonstrate education equivalent to US medical programs, maintain detailed licensing requirements, and go through a rigorous national security and criminal history check before entering American medical systems. They are not here to displace American workers—they are here to help bridge the chasm between supply and demand for labor in healthcare.
Each passing day, more medical professionals make the decision to leave the field. This vicious cycle continues to strain our healthcare systems which are still in recovery mode. Without proper legislative action, America’s healthcare facilities will continue to suffer. International medical professionals offer a clear solution, and allocating our unused resources in the name of Americans’ wellbeing is an immediate remedy to this otherwise fatal problem. Legislators should pass this common-sense bill now to strengthen our healthcare system and protect American patients.
Saul Anuzis is president of 60 Plus, the American Association of Senior Citizens, a nonpartisan seniors advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., with members across the country.
