{"id":41430,"date":"2026-01-02T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T15:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=41430"},"modified":"2026-01-09T19:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T03:01:16","slug":"the-us-already-faces-a-health-care-workforce-shortage-immigration-policy-could-make-it-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/the-us-already-faces-a-health-care-workforce-shortage-immigration-policy-could-make-it-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"The US already faces a health care workforce shortage \u2013 immigration policy could make it worse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bedassa Tadesse<\/a>, University of Minnesota Duluth<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Americans gather for holiday celebrations, many will quietly thank the health care workers who keep their families and friends well: the ICU nurse who stabilized a grandparent, the doctor who adjusted a tricky prescription, the home health aide who ensures an aging relative can bathe and eat safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far fewer may notice how many of these professionals are foreign-born<\/a>, and how immigration policies<\/a> shaped <\/a>in Washington today could determine whether those same families can get care<\/a> when they need it in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an economist<\/a> who studies how immigration influences economies, including health care systems, I see a consistent picture: Immigrants are a vital part of the health care workforce, especially in roles facing staffing shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet current immigration policies, such as increased visa fees<\/a>, stricter eligibility requirements<\/a> and enforcement actions that affect legally present workers living with undocumented family members<\/a>, risk eroding this critical workforce, threatening timely care for millions of Americans. The timing couldn\u2019t be worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A perfect storm: Rising demand, looming shortages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

America\u2019s health care system is entering an unprecedented period of strain. An aging population<\/a>, coupled with rising rates of chronic conditions<\/a>, is driving demand for care to new heights<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workforce isn\u2019t growing fast enough to meet those needs. The U.S. faces a projected shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians<\/a> by 2036. Hospitals, clinics and elder-care services are expected to add about 2.1 million jobs between 2022 and 2032<\/a>. Many of those will be front-line caregiving roles<\/a>: home health, personal care and nursing assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, immigrant health care workers have filled gaps where U.S.-born workers are limited. They serve as doctors in rural clinics<\/a>, nurses in understaffed hospitals<\/a> and aides in nursing homes and home care settings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationally, immigrants make up about 18% of the health care workforce<\/a>, and they\u2019re even more concentrated in critical roles. Roughly 1 in 4 physicians, 1 in 5 registered nurses and 1 in 3 home health aides<\/a> are foreign-born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State-level data reveals just how deeply immigrants are embedded in the health care system. Consider California<\/a>, where immigrants account for 1 in 3 physicians, 36% of registered nurses and 42% of health aides. On the other side of the country, immigrants make up 35% of hospital staff in New York state. In New York City, they are the majority of health care workers, representing 57% of the health care workforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in states with smaller immigrant populations, their impact is outsized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Minnesota, immigrants are nearly 1 in 3 nursing assistants in nursing homes and home care agencies<\/a>, despite being just 12% of the overall workforce. Iowa, where immigrants are just 6.3% of the population<\/a>, relies on them<\/a> for a disproportionate share of rural physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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