Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
An Iraqi Doctor In Trump Country
Stat: 'I Was Needed': How An Iraqi Doctor Won Trust In Trump Country
Many foreign-born doctors work in rural communities because that lets them stay in the US after their medical residency instead of returning home for two years. [Dr. Chalak] Berzingi, though, had already earned his US citizenship when he chose to work here. He gave up the chance at a more lucrative private practice, accepted a grueling commute that takes him from his family — and has stuck with it for the past five years, logging more than 100,000 miles to get to the Elkins clinic three days a week. (Blau, 2/7)
The New York Times: Trump’s Travel Ban, Aimed At Terrorists, Has Blocked Doctors
The Trump administration has mounted a vigorous defense of its ban on travel from seven majority-Muslim nations, saying it is necessary to prevent terrorists from entering the United States. But the ban, now blocked by a federal judge, also ensnared travelers important to the well-being of many Americans: doctors. (McNeil, 2/6)
Bloomberg: Trump’s H1-B Visa Crackdown Threatens Cutting-Edge U.S. Medicine
From tiny startups to global giants, the companies that sustain the $324 billion U.S. biotech industry are increasingly alarmed as President Donald Trump considers following his controversial travel ban with restrictions on skilled foreign immigrants. To crank out discoveries, U.S. biotech firms such as Amgen Inc. and Gilead Sciences Inc., as well as overseas companies with stateside operations, rely on the world’s best scientists and lower-level researchers with scarce expertise. A crackdown on visas for these workers could set back research, including the treatment of cancer, executives said. It also comes as companies, hospitals and universities struggle with the aftermath of Trump’s immigration ban from seven Muslim-majority counties, which has for now been blocked in court. (Bloomfield, Lauerman and Campbell, 2/7)
ProPublica: Despite Judge’s Order, A Cleveland Clinic Doctor Still Can’t Come Back To U.S.
Joyous homecomings and family reunions broke out at airports across the country after a federal judge in Washington state blocked the implementation of President Donald Trump’s order barring visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries. But Dr. Suha Abushamma, a Cleveland Clinic medical resident, is still abroad and it’s not clear she’s going to be allowed home anytime soon. A first-year resident at the Cleveland Clinic, she was forced to leave the U.S. hours after landing at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, Jan. 28. Abushamma, a Sudanese citizen, was given the choice of withdrawing her visa application “voluntarily” or being forcibly deported and not allowed back to the U.S. for at least five years. (Ornstein, 2/6)
