Legislation passed to protect Nevada's foreign doctors, many of whom serve rural areas

Final approval was granted in Nevada Thursday to a bill that would allow the state Health Department to "stop the exploitation of foreign doctors who have come to practice in the state’s blighted urban areas and rural towns," Marshall Allen writes for the Las Vegas Sun.

The exploitation occurs in the J-1 visa waiver program. Investigations found that many bosses overworked and underpaid J-1 doctors, or reassigned the physicians from practicing in underserved areas to larger hospitals where they made more money for their employers.

The shortage of physicians and mental health professionals has long been a concern in rural areas, prompting loan forgiveness programs across the country, as well as foreign doctor incentives. If passed the legislation would closely monitor and punish violations, protect whistleblowers and charge participating employers a fee to cover the cost of enforcement. (Read more)