FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 16, 2026

Media Contact:
Samantha Tirado
Director of Policy Communications 
stirado@mgma.org 
 

MGMA Statement on Congressional Letter Urging DHS to Exempt Healthcare from H‑1B Fee (February 16, 2026)

Anders Gilberg
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Medical Group Management Association

"The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) applauds the bipartisan, bicameral letter led by Representatives Clarke (D-NY) and Lawler (R-NY), signed by 100 Congress members, urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to exempt healthcare workers from the new $100,000 H‑1B visa application fee. Medical group practices, particularly in rural and underserved areas, rely on international health professionals—including physicians, nurses, therapists, laboratory personnel, and other specialized clinicians—to meet essential patient-care needs. Imposing a $100,000 fee on employers petitioning for H‑1B workers further strains healthcare workforce shortages and recruitment challenges, leaving critical positions unfilled, placing additional pressure on remaining staff, and contributing to burnout. MGMA joins these important members of Congress in urging DHS to swiftly provide a clear exemption for healthcare workers to protect patients' access to timely, high‑quality care and to support medical practices already struggling to fill critical staffing gaps."

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About MGMA

Founded in 1926, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is the nation's largest association focused on the business of medical practice management. MGMA consists of 15,000 group medical practices ranging from small private medical practices to large national health systems representing more than 350,000 physicians. MGMA helps nearly 70,000 medical practice leaders and the healthcare community solve the business challenges of running practices so that they can focus on providing outstanding patient care. Specifically, MGMA helps its members innovate and improve profitability and financial sustainability, and it provides the gold standard on industry benchmarks such as physician compensation. The association also advocates extensively on its members' behalf on national regulatory and policy issues.