H.R. 5283: Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act aims to increase the number of employment-based immigrant visas available for professional nurses and physicians in the United States. The key points of the bill include:

Recapturing Unused Visas

The bill proposes to recapture unused employment-based visas that have not been issued in previous years. These unused visas would be allocated specifically for nurses and physicians, which could help to alleviate workforce shortages in the healthcare system.

Visa Allocation

• The total number of immigrant visas made available would be increased by the amount of unused visas calculated from fiscal years 1992 through 2024.
• A maximum of 40,000 new employment-based visas would be allocated, with:
  • 25,000 reserved for professional nurses.
  • 15,000 reserved for physicians.

Exemptions from Country Caps

The visas allocated under this bill would not be subject to the usual per-country limitations that restrict the number of visas available to individuals from any one country. This helps to ensure a more diverse pool of applicants for the nursing and physician roles.

Family Members

The bill includes provisions for family members of the nurses and physicians who will also be eligible for visas. These family members would not count against the overall number of visas reserved for the healthcare professionals.

Premium and Expedited Processing

To facilitate a faster immigration process, the bill mandates that the immigration services provide premium processing for the applications of the nurses and physicians. This includes expedited shipping of petitions and applications to minimize delays.

Labor Attestation Requirement

Before a visa is issued to a nurse or physician, the employer must attest that hiring the foreign worker will not displace a U.S. worker. This requirement aims to protect the domestic workforce.

Implementation Limitations

Visas will only be made available for petitions filed within three years following the enactment of this act. This time limit seeks to ensure that the measures are implemented promptly to address current workforce needs.

Overall Impact

The act aims to address the ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals in the U.S. by increasing the number of qualified nurses and physicians available to work in the healthcare system, thus potentially improving healthcare access and quality for patients.

Relevant Companies

• HCA: HCA Healthcare may benefit from an increased supply of nurses and physicians, helping to fill staffing needs in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
• UNH: UnitedHealth Group could see improvements in the availability of healthcare providers, which may enhance their service delivery and operational efficiency.
• CI: Cigna may experience a positive impact as a larger pool of healthcare professionals can lead to better patient access and care management.