PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jeffrey Douaiher
AU  - Douglas J. Inciarte
AU  - Edibaldo Silva
TI  - The Intersection of National Immigration and Healthcare Policy
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2018.01.170204
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
PG  - 163--165
VI  - 31
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/31/1/163.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/31/1/163.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2018 Jan 01; 31
AB  - Immigration policy and health care policy remain principal undertakings of the federal government. The two have recently been pursued independently in the judicial and legislative arenas. Unbeknownst to many policymakers, however, national immigration policy and health care policy are linked in ways that, if unattended, could undermine the well-being of a significant portion of the US population, specifically medically underserved rural and urban populations. Using current data from a workforce report of the Association of American Colleges and the published literature, we demonstrate the significant impact that contemporary immigration policy directives may have on the number and distribution of international medical graduates who currently provide—and by the year 2025 will provide—a significant portion of primary health care in the United States, especially in underserved small urban and rural communities.