Statement by Healthcare Leadership Council President Mary R. Grealy on Congressional Introduction of the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act

The bipartisan group of lawmakers, including lead sponsors Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Tom Cole (R-OK), who have introduced the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act today are offering a solution to a fundamental math problem affecting the American healthcare system. Quite simply, there are not enough unemployed healthcare professionals already in this country available to fill the current openings for physicians and nurses, and this shortfall is projected to worsen in the years ahead. As workforce shortages exacerbate, patient access to care will be affected as well as the physical and mental well-being of overworked doctors and nurses.

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act addresses this problem by recapturing and reallocating unused immigrant visas to allow well-trained doctors and nurses from other countries, who have been stuck in green card backlogs, to practice in this country. The legislation contains safeguards to ensure that only those who are fully qualified will be included in this admission process. It is a sound solution to one of our healthcare system’s most daunting challenges.

Roughly one-sixth of the United States healthcare workforce is foreign-born. We have long depended on an infusion of talented and dedicated immigrants to ensure that quality care is accessible for all those who need it. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act recognizes this history and adds a new chapter to it at a time when patients and healthcare workers need it most.

For Immediate Release: November 3, 2023
Contact: Kelly Fernandez, (202) 449-3452