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AMA Reports on Physician Shortage in Rural Areas
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), there is a severe shortage of physicians in rural areas of the United States . According their statistics, the US government estimates over 35 million Americans live in medically underserved areas, and 16,000 doctors are required to immediately fill that need. However, the gap is expected to greatly increase over the next several years, to an estimated 200,000 by 2020 due to increases in the population and aging physicians.
According to the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center, there are 280 doctors for every 100,000 people in the U.S. However, in rural areas like the Mississippi Delta, there are only 103 physicians for every 100,000 people.
While the U.S. has tried to address this physician shortage by allowing foreign-trained physicians to come and work in rural areas through programs such as the Conrad State 30 Program, post-9/11 visa restrictions have made it more difficult for foreign physicians to qualify for work visas and to obtain permanent residency. As a result, many foreign-trained physicians have chosen to leave the U.S. after their medical service commitment is up, or have chosen not to apply to come to the U.S. at all.
This drop in foreign physicians can been seen in the J visa waiver program. From 1996 to 1997, there were 11,600 J waivers granted to foreign physicians. From 2004 to 2005, that number dropped to less than 6,200, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
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