DACA Reversal Risks Medical Workforce

“One out of four doctors practicing today is an international medical graduate and many of those have DACA status. Eliminating DACA protections will not only make the shortages worse, it will also hit rural and underserved areas hard and those are places that DACA physicians are likely to work.” — AMA CEO James Madara, MD

AMA Voices Concerns about Immigrant Workforce

In reaction to President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to reverse the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects about 800,000 immigrants, the American Medical Association has called on Congress to consider alternatives that will not hinder the healthcare workforce.

“President Trump’s recent announcement to end the DACA program in six months fails to recognize the enormous contributions of hundreds of thousands of individuals who are living, working and providing vital services in the United States, including healthcare,” AMA CEO James Madara, MD, wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “We particularly are concerned that this reversal in policy could have severe consequences for many in the healthcare workforce, impacting patients and our nation’s healthcare system.”

Young Medical Worker

DACA Physicians Providing Primary Care in Rural Areas

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration statistics, America is amidst a primary care physician shortage of more than 8,200 doctors, a figure the Association of American Medical Colleges projects will rise to at least 61,700 possibly as high as 94,700 physicians by 2025.

DACA has the potential to make approximately 5,400 physicians eligible to practice medicine in the coming years.

“The AMA is concerned that the quality of care provided in these communities will be negatively impacted and that patient access to care will suffer,” Madara wrote. “DACA recipients should be able to continue to study, work, and improve patient access to care without the fear and uncertainty of being deported before their training is completed.”