(The Center Square) — Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the latest congresswoman to back a bill introduced a little over a year ago designed to help “combat the shortage of doctors in Virginia.”
Introduced by Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., the legislation aims to increase the nation’s supply of doctors and support communities with the greatest need for more medical care.
The bill would enable American-trained doctors to stay in the U.S. following their residency if they commit to practicing for at least three years in an underserved community.
A press release from Spanberger’s office highlighted a few relevant statistics: “About one-third of resident physicians in the U.S. are international medical graduates,” and nearly 30% of Virginians live in areas that suffer from a primary care physician shortage, according to the American Medical Association and a Virginia study.
“The doctor shortage is real in rural America – and we can’t ignore it,” Spanberger said in an email to The Center Square. She went on to emphasize the bipartisan nature of the bill, which is also bicameral and has support from over 30 Republicans and 90 Democrats in the House and Senate.
“That’s strong bipartisan support,” she said, adding that the bill has also been endorsed by some of Virginia’s most recognized medical institutions, like the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University. “[They] also strongly agree that this bill would help connect more Virginians to lifesaving care.”
Currently, about half of these students are required to return to their home country after their residency and wait two years before applying for a new visa or green card. The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act would enable more students and their families to obtain a visa upon completion of their residency so they could continue working in the U.S. with no gap in medical service.
The only other of Virginia’s representatives to support the bill so far is Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-04, who signed on as a co-sponsor in November 2023. But Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-09, indicated it’s not out of the question for him, as he endorsed similar legislation in the past.
“While I must still review [H.R. 4942] before I take a position on the legislation,” Griffith wrote in an email to The Center Square, … I am generally supportive of efforts to allow foreign medical students to legally come to the United States and practice in rural and medically underserved communities.”
The legislation has also been endorsed by the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Rural Health Association.
Spanberger has been a member of Congress since 2019 but is not seeking reelection in a bid to run for governor in 2025.
