Arizona
Arizona women’s health clinics sound alarm over new visa fees for foreign doctors
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — As Arizona faces a growing shortage of OB-GYNs, a new federal policy could make it even harder for women to access care across the state.
Women’s health provider MomDoc, which operates clinics throughout Arizona, says it may now be forced to pay up to $100,000 per doctor to keep some of its physicians.
The change stems from new guidance under the Trump administration affecting the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire skilled foreign workers, including doctors in specialty occupations.
Under the revised policy, healthcare providers must now pay a substantial fee to continue sponsoring foreign-trained physicians. “It will impact access to care in Arizona and in other states that are barely making it today,” said Nick Goodman, CEO of MomDoc.
Currently in Arizona, fewer than 400 OB-GYNs deliver approximately 78,000 babies annually. According to Goodman, a major reason for the shortage is a decades-old freeze on funding for medical residency programs, which has prevented the training of enough new OB-GYNs in the U.S.
To fill the gap, MomDoc and other healthcare providers rely heavily on international doctors. Goodman says roughly 75% of their applicants are H-1B visa holders.
“Healthcare is already a very low-margin business,” Goodman said. “Adding a $100,000 fee makes it go from barely profitable to unprofitable.”
Experts warn the policy could further limit access to care, especially in rural or underserved areas where OB-GYN shortages are already severe.
However, there may be some relief. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently clarified that the fee does not apply to individuals who are already in the U.S. and are changing their visa status. Such as medical residents transitioning to full-time positions, as long as they have received USCIS approval.
In the meantime, clinics like MomDoc are pursuing fee exemptions, hoping the new rule won’t apply to their current physicians. But Goodman warns that unless the policy is revised or rescinded, it could have lasting consequences.
“When you’re talking about the number of OB-GYN’s practicing in the state going down, which is already happening prior to this fee, it makes it harder and harder for women in Arizona,” he said.
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(Stacker) – Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Arizona using data from AAA. Gas prices are as of May 1.
Arizona by the numbers
– Gas current price: $4.72
– Week change: +$0.08 (+1.7%)
– Year change: +$1.41 (+42.8%)
– Historical expensive gas price: $5.39 (6/17/22)
– Diesel current price: $5.80
– Week change: -$0.08 (-1.3%)
– Year change: +$2.30 (+65.9%)
– Historical expensive diesel price: $6.21 (4/8/26)
Metros with most expensive gas in Arizona
#1. Scottsdale: $4.90
#2. Peoria: $4.84
#3. Phoenix Proper: $4.82
#4. Glendale: $4.82
#5. West Valley: $4.80
#6. Phoenix-Mesa: $4.80
#7. East Valley: $4.80
#8. Yuma: $4.75
#9. Flagstaff: $4.73
#10. Lake Havasu-Kingman: $4.70
#11. Prescott: $4.69
#12. Sierra Vista-Douglas: $4.55
#13. Tucson: $4.53
#14. Pima County: $4.53
States with the least expensive gas
#1. Georgia: $3.80
#2. Oklahoma: $3.82
#3. Mississippi: $3.83
#4. Arkansas: $3.84
#5. Louisiana: $3.84
Read on to see which states have the most expensive gas prices.
#5. Nevada
– Regular gas price: $5.15
#4. Oregon
– Regular gas price: $5.21
#3. Washington
– Regular gas price: $5.61
#2. Hawaii
– Regular gas price: $5.64
#1. California
– Regular gas price: $6.06
src=”https://analytics.stacker.com/tracking/0a06cfd3-db49-4351-b9ca-8050a3d4c4f3/script.js?source=story-hub” async>
Copyright 2026 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
A dad visiting the Phoenix Zoo says his family was in disbelief when staff suddenly told everyone to leave. Holding his 7-month-old baby, he says the fear set in as they rushed to their car without knowing why. Police later said the bomb threat appears to have been fake. Stephanie Duprey has more.
PHOENIX — The Mammoth have generated a buzz in Utah, igniting a new fan base with a trip to the playoffs in their second season.
The previous fan base back in the desert still feels a connection with the franchise once known as the Arizona Coyotes and the players who set the foundation for its current success.
But there’s also a strange detachment from seeing the team they once rooted for playing in a city more than 600 miles away under a different name.
“I’m a hockey fan and I’ve been cheering for them; most of those guys, that team, that organization were here,” Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin said on Friday. “But in many ways, I feel disconnected from them. They’re playing in Utah, they have Utah fans, they play in a Utah arena.”
Galvin is trying to bring NHL hockey back to the Phoenix area.
Not long after the Coyotes left for Utah in 2024, he helped create an advisory committee that includes former Olympian Lyndsey Fry and Andrea Doan.
Fry, who grew up in the Phoenix area, has been a stalwart in Arizona youth hockey through various programs and spearheads community relations for the committee.
Utah Mammoth left wing Brandon Tanev (13) attempts to shoot against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/John Locher
Doan has strong ties to hockey; her husband, Shane, was the longtime captain of the Coyotes and her son, Josh, is a current NHL player who started his career with the Coyotes. She works with Galvin on finding a potential owner for a potential NHL expansion team and possible sites for a new arena.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had repeatedly said the league would like to have a franchise in Arizona again — it owns the Coyotes name — but the right ownership and arena location have to be in place.
“We have to find a good and appropriate location for an arena — that has been an issue bedeviling the Coyotes for the better part of 25 years — and we need a billionaire to put up money to buy the team,” said Galvin, who works on the advisory committee on his own time. “So my joke is, if you know a billionaire, please let me know because there’s not that many around and that’s what it takes in professional sports these days.”
The Coyotes struggled during their 28-year run in Arizona, going through multiple owners and three different arenas.
The franchise had an arena plan for Tempe, but voters shot it down. Another proposal for an arena in Scottsdale fell through when previous owner Alex Meruelo couldn’t secure a land-rights deal, leading to the franchise’s move to Utah.
Coyotes fans have tried to keep a connection to the new version of the team, but it’s not quite the same from long distance.
“I’ve got to tell you, my enthusiasm for them really dropped off,” Galvin said. “But I do love watching hockey and enjoy watching great other teams.”
Galvin is doing his best to bring it back to Arizona in person.
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