In seeking to protect the tech sector, one can end up under the threat of a bug. Donald Trump could learn this at his expense during the midterm elections scheduled for November.
Last September, the American president decided to significantly increase the price of the H-1B visa for skilled workers, raising it from $5,000 to $100,000. The Republican billionaire justified this decision by explaining that this visa was used by new technology companies to recruit foreigners at the expense of Americans, even going as far as describing in his executive order these practices as “threats to domestic security,” which he believed were abuses preventing his fellow citizens from accessing certain jobs.
While tech is the main sector using the H1-B visa (65% of the 442,000 visa holders in 2025), it is not the only one. The healthcare sector also utilizes this same visa, granting 5,600 foreign workers “temporary authorization to work in the United States in jobs that require specialized skills or knowledge.” By increasing its price twentyfold, Donald Trump is preventing many rural hospitals from hiring qualified specialists who are needed in American medical deserts.
“The rural areas of the United States are often described as ‘areas lacking health professionals’ because approximately two-thirds of these fragile sectors are found there,” explains Carrie Cochran-McClain, policy director of the National Rural Health Association, representing over 5,700 rural hospitals. “To fill these gaps, it is necessary to recruit from abroad. The percentage of doctors benefiting from the H-1B program is nearly twice as high in rural counties as in urban counties.”
According to the American Hospital Association, doctors represent nearly half of the H-1B visas in healthcare. However, they can try to “circumvent” the problem by applying for another visa, the J1. A more challenging practice for other healthcare professions: “The options are much more limited for nurses, respiratory technicians, and radiology technicians,” points out Carrie Cochran-McClain, who believes that the healthcare sector is a “collateral victim” of this arbitrary policy.
Context: The article highlights the impact of Donald Trump’s decision to increase the price of the H-1B visa on the healthcare sector, particularly in rural areas with shortages of medical professionals.
Fact Check: The article accurately reports on the potential consequences of the visa price increase on healthcare recruitment in rural areas, citing statements from experts and healthcare associations.
