In
response
to
the
news
that
the
Trump
administration
has
hiked
the
price
of
new
H-1B
visas
from
$2,000
–
$5,000
to
a
whopping
$100,000.
MedCity
News
Editor
in
Chief
Arundhati
Parmar
talked
about
the
merits
and
challenges
of
the
program
in
general
and
specifically
for
healthcare
with
Debunked
Podcast
co-host
Samir
Batra,
managing
partner
of
Health
Innovation
Pitch.
“There
are
some
legit
concerns
that
employers
have
abused
this
system,
especially
with
India,
my
country
of
birth,
and
have
benefited
tremendously,”
Arundhati
said.
“I
agree
with
the
criticism
that
this
program
has
been
abused.
…
On
the
flip
side,
we
don’t
have
enough
people
with
math
and
science
skills.”
Initially
the
details
of
the
visa
program
changes
were
hazy,
causing
mass
confusion
as
companies
urged
employees
to
cut
short
their
travel
plans
and
return
to
the
U.S.
Technology
companies
have
used
the
H-1B
visa
to
address
a
shortage
of
computer
science
engineers
within
the
U.S.
Although
the
healthcare
industry
has
relied
on
the
program
for
decades
to
bolster
nurse
and
physician
staffing,
bringing
professionals
from
Philippines
and
India,
the
numbers
of
H-1B
visas
issued
in
healthcare
and
medicine
represent
a
small
fraction
of
the
141,205
total
new
H-1B
visas
issued
in
fiscal
year
2024,
according
to
data
from
the
American
Immigration
Council.
Another
topic
raised
in
the
latest
edition
of
Debunked
was
Bitcoin
treasury
company
Strive’s
acquisition
of
device
company
Semlar
Scientific.
Semlar
developed
a
test
for
peripheral
artery
disease
and
other
chronic
conditions.
The
combined
company
holds
10,900
BTC,
making
it
the
12th
largest
public
bitcoin
holder,
according
to
Cointelegraph.
Samir
shared
insights
on
the
implications
for
future
M&A
deals
and
the
role
bitcoin
could
play
in
these
transactions.
He
also
shared
concerns
that
bitcoin
risked
inflating
a
company’s
value
based
on
their
digital
assets.
Misinformation
around
one
cause
of
autism,
disseminated
by
the
Trump
administration,
was
widely
criticized
last
month.
President
Donald
Trump
and
HHS
Secretary
Robert
Kennedy
Jr.
named
the
active
ingredient
in
Tylenol,
acetaminophen,
as
a
cause
of
autism
and
urged
pregnant
women
not
to
take
the
medication,
despite
the
lack
of
conclusive
evidence
for
the
claims.
Physicians
often
recommend
pregnant
women
take
Tylenol
for
pain
or
a
high
fever
as
a
safer
alternative
to
aspirin.
Centers
for
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
Administrator
Dr.
Mehmet
Oz
contradicted
his
boss
and
downplayed
concerns
around
the
drug.
To
listen
to
the
full
podcast,
check
out
the
video
here: