Latest news with #AssociationofAmericanMedicalColleges
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Medical students could feel burn from Trump's new law
Many medical school students will feel a financial squeeze from President Trump's tax-and-spending bill due to a new $200,000 cap on student loan borrowing and the cancellation of a federal program that helps defray their living expenses during school. Why it matters: The country is projected to face a shortage of 187,130 doctors by 2037. The concern within medical professions is the cutbacks will make it harder to afford a medical education and drive up debts — especially for low-income students and people from other underrepresented backgrounds. "These changes risk deterring qualified students from pursuing medical careers," David Bergman, who leads government relations for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, told Axios. State of play: The spending bill signed by President Trump this month will impose a lifetime $200,000 cap on medical and law school students. But the average medical school debt is more than $210,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The bill also ends the Education Department's Grad PLUS federal loan program, which allows graduate students to cover their full tuition and living expenses through the federal government after they've exhausted their available direct loans. The provisions go into effect before the 2026-2027 school year. The lifetime cap signed into law is higher than the $150,000 lifetime cap that Congress originally considered. Threat level: More than 70% of last year's medical school graduates had education debt, per the Association of American Medical Colleges. Students can get private loans, but they often come with less favorable terms and conditions and may require co-signers, which can be difficult for low-income applicants. They're also not subject to the public service loan forgiveness program. What they're saying:"The consequences of this bill won't just be seen in graduation statistics. They'll be seen in emergency rooms, labor and delivery wards, and graveyards," Timberly Washington, a fourth-year medical student in Alabama, wrote in an op-ed published in Stat last week. Students from rural areas are likeliest to practice in outlying communities. But graduating with a mountain of debt will make it harder for new doctors to stay when salaries are typically higher in urban centers, Washington wrote. The other side: The bill helps to end waste in the federal government by capping federally subsidized loans for high earners, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Axios. "Future physicians, surgeons, dentists, researchers, and other well-credentialed professionals who will command premium salaries upon entering the workforce are prime bets for the private student loan market," he said in an email. Proponents of the policy also point out medical schools' typically low acceptance rates, which likely means they'll fill all of their openings even if application rates decrease. Yes, but: 1 in 5 physicians hope to leave their practice in the next two years and 1 in 3 want to reduce hours, according to the American Medical Association — meaning the U.S. is about to need many more doctors.
Axios
10-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
More employers offer immigrant doctors visa support
A small but growing number of employers are offering immigrants support in obtaining visas and green cards — especially those looking for physicians and surgeons, according to new data from jobs site Indeed. Why it matters: Immigration plays a key role in filling jobs within industries facing labor shortages — with health care at the top of the list. How it works: The share of job postings that include an offer of visa support spiked over the past few years — from 0.04% in June 2021 to 0.14% in May. These are very small numbers. But what's most notable is that almost three-quarters of all the job postings that include immigration benefits were in the health care sector. Zoom in: In May 3.2% of help-wanteds for physicians and surgeons included an offer of visa support or green card sponsorship, per Indeed. In New York, 18% of physician jobs offered immigration support. The big picture: There's a growing shortage of doctors in the U.S. — projected to reach into the tens of thousands over the next decade, per the Association of American Medical Colleges. Immigration is seen as one way to fill the gap — though there are other policy levers that could be pulled. Health employers facing immediate staffing shortages can turn to temporary visas like H-1Bs that allow qualified professionals to work in the U.S. for a fixed period, often tied to employer sponsorship, per Holland & Hart. Those looking to fill longer-term positions with foreign workers can sponsor them for permanent residency. What to watch: Immigration to the U.S. has declined sharply this year amid the White House crackdown, and interest among foreigners in working in the U.S. is also showing signs of a drop-off. That could most directly affect home care and long-term care, since immigrants make up 1 in 3 workers (32%) in home care settings, according to KFF. They also make up 21% of workers in nursing facilities and 24% of workers in residential care settings. The Committee of Interns and Residents, part of the Service Employees International Union, last week called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to exempt non-citizen physicians slated to work in U.S. hospitals from the Trump administration's travel ban, citing concerns over a strained physician workforce.
NBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Medical students fret over the new student loan cap in the 'big, beautiful bill'
A provision tucked inside a sweeping bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week will make it harder for thousands of aspiring doctors to finance their education as the country faces a growing shortage in that profession. The move will cap the amount of federal loans students can borrow for graduate school to $20,500 a year — with a total limit of $100,000 — and cap loans for professional programs, such as medical, dental or law school, at $50,000 a year, with a total limit of $200,000. While those limits may sound like large amounts, medical school students graduate with an average of more than $264,000 in educational debt and the cost of medical school programs can exceed $300,000 at private universities, according to the Education Data Initiative. Without the ability to take out more federal loans, prospective students say they will have to turn to private loans, which can have stricter borrowing or repayment options, or potentially put off their medical school plans. 'I have watched a lot of students get into debt, and it is scary, but part of the medical training and the medical education system, it's an expensive journey. I think that it's something that the government needs to understand,' said Zoe Lewczak, a 26-year-old bioethics master's student at Harvard Medical School, who is in the process of applying to 30 schools for MD-Ph.D. programs. ' What is currently happening, I think this is going to create a major gap in who is able to access medical education and pursue it.' The legislation, which Republicans have dubbed the 'one big, beautiful bill,' largely focuses on providing trillions of dollars in tax cuts for businesses, increased spending for immigration enforcement and cuts to health insurance programs. But within the nearly 900-page law are several changes to student loan programs, including the elimination of a loan program put in place in 2006 called Grad PLUS, which allows students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. The Grad PLUS loans were initially intended to help more people attend graduate and professional programs. But opponents of the loan program have argued that it has allowed colleges and universities to increase tuition unchecked because students have been able to borrow essentially unlimited amounts of money, leaving borrowers with financially crippling levels of debt. Medical schools have warned the loan cap could discourage students from going into medicine at a time when the country is already on track to have a shortage of as many as 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The group said that medical school tuition increases have slowed since the introduction of the loan program. 'This will intensify challenges for medical students to finance their education due to some of the complexities of private loans, and we believe it will result in an additional financial barrier to attending medical school,' said Kristen Earle, AAMC program leader for student financial aid services. 'This added barrier could deter qualified candidates from pursuing a medical degree altogether, ultimately worsening the existing and expected physician shortage.' The student loan cap comes as universities are already struggling with wider funding cuts. Trump has sought to cut off various forms of federal funding for institutions that have policies with which he disagrees, and the Department of Government Efficiency has cut or frozen medical and scientific funding schools rely on. For Lewczak, the loan cap will likely force her to find financial assistance beyond the government. At her top-choice medical school, the average student leaves with $400,000 in debt — double the loan limit that will be imposed by the bill. With the new loan cap, she's considering taking out private loans, something she thinks should be an option since she has built up good credit. 'There seems to be this misconception that federal student loans are just like free handouts, and that is very much false,' she said. 'You are signing an agreement, you are paying it back with the interest rate.' While private loans will still be an option for some students, those loans aren't eligible for public service loan forgiveness programs, like those for doctors who work in underserved communities. Private loans can also come with less flexible repayment options or require the borrower to have a co-signer, Earle said. As a first-generation college student, Lewczak created a TikTok account to help students figure out how to fund graduate school in higher education. She predicts the new law will create a gap in students who want to pursue medicine and students who can actually access that education. Other current and prospective medical school students have also taken to social media to share their concerns over the loan limit. Shae-Marie Stafford-Trujillo, 23, who is completing a one-year post-bachelor certificate program at Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, said the bill is already dashing her hopes of studying at some of her top-choice medical schools, like Stanford University, where one year of attendance costs more than $150,000. 'You can imagine how almost surreal it feels to not even be able to go to an institution and study that,' said Stafford-Trujillo, who hopes to specialize in research around narcolepsy, a condition she has personally struggled with. 'It's not even across the world, it's potentially only a couple of 100 miles away, but now I don't even have the opportunity to go and study at some of these institutions.' Unless she gets into an MD-Ph.D. program, which could be fully paid for, Stafford-Trujillo likely will only be able to afford an in-state medical school in Texas. 'You could imagine and empathize with now students are no longer able to apply broadly or to apply to programs, potentially their dream school,' she said. Lauren Garkow, 25, is halfway through a four-year medical school based in the Caribbean and is interested in pursuing a career in pathology when she graduates. She said her classmates have already struggled to afford even the basic necessities — a struggle she expects to get even worse if loans are limited. 'I really fear for all the medical students who have to deal with that new bill,' she said. 'Health care as a whole will be affected,' she said. 'This is going to have a ripple effect on all of us.'
Business Insider
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A big change to student loans in Trump's spending bill could make it harder to become a doctor or lawyer
It might soon be harder to attend medical or law schooldue to President Donald Trump's big spending bill. Trump signed his "big beautiful" tax and spending bill into law on July 4, codifying a slew of changes to the tax system, healthcare, and education. The law includes a major overhaul to the country's education system, particularly to the way students take out and pay off their student loans. One specific student-loan change in the bill places new caps on the amount of loans students can borrow for graduate school, including medical and law school. Specifically, the bill eliminates the Grad PLUS loan program, which allowed graduate and professional students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance for their programs. It also caps borrowing for graduate students at $20,500 a year and $100,000 over a lifetime and for professional students, like those in medical or law school, at $50,000 a year and $200,000 over a lifetime. Those caps mean many students won't be able to borrow enough to cover the full price of graduate or professional school. The Association of American Medical Colleges found that the median cost for four years of public medical school was $286,454 for the class of 2024, with that amount rising to just over $390,000 at a private school. The average total cost of law school in the latest school year, according to the Education Data Initiative, was just over $217,000. "Eliminating or restricting these critical programs would undermine the future physician workforce and ultimately make it harder for patients in communities nationwide to get the care they need," AAMC's president and CEO, David Skorton, said in a statement. Sara Partridge, associate director for higher education policy at the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, told Business Insider that she expects these new caps to worsen doctor shortages and "shut off pathways to these important jobs for students from low income families." The Health Resources and Services Administration — a federal agency that ensures healthcare access — said in a 2024 report that 75 million people currently live in a primary care health shortage area, and it projects a shortage of 187,130 full-time physicians in 2037. Some students might also turn toward private student loans with higher interest rates, Partridge said. "Private student loans often require a cosigner, so some students may not qualify, and they may have no options to fully finance and attend graduate school. So there is a possibility that for some students, this will be a barrier to accessing graduate school," Partridge said. The parent PLUS program, which previously allowed parents to borrower up to the full cost of attendance, still exists, but the bill places a $65,000 lifetime cap on parents borrowing for their kids' educations. Along with the borrowing caps, the spending bill also instituted significant changes to student-loan repayment. It eliminated existing income-driven repayment plans and replaced them with two new options. The first option is a standard repayment plan with a payment period ranging from 10 to 25 years, based on the borrower's original balance. The second option is a new plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan, which sets borrowers' payments at 1% to 10% of their income, and any remaining balance is forgiven after 30 years. It's less generous than former President Joe Biden's SAVE plan, which the bill eliminated. The SAVE plan would have reduced payments on undergraduate loans from 10% to 5% of a borrower's discretionary income. Linda McMahon, Trump's education secretary, lauded the passage of the bill in a July 3 post on X, saying it "simplifies the overly complex student loan repayment system" and "reduces federal student loan borrowing amounts to help curb rising tuition costs." "A truly beautiful bill for the American people," she said. The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Boston Globe
19-06-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Trump travel restrictions bar residents needed at US hospitals
'If international medical graduates can't start their medical residencies on time on July 1, the ramifications are so far-reaching that it is really unconscionable,' said Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers. Senior residents leave hospitals in June and go on to start their careers, she noted. Hospitals rely on new residents to replenish their ranks. 'If they don't come on July 1, that leaves a hole in the patient care team,' Burke said. 'Who's going to pick up the slack?' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On May 27, the Trump administration suspended new interview appointments for foreign nationals applying for J-1 visas. The visas, for participants in cultural or educational exchange programs, are used by most medical residents arriving from overseas. Advertisement On Wednesday, the State Department lifted the pause on visa appointments, according to an official who spoke anonymously to discuss an internal policy change. It was not immediately clear how many, or how quickly, physicians could be granted their visas. The process now includes 'enhanced social media vetting,' intended to ferret out potential security risks, the official said. The administration also has banned or restricted travel to the United States from 19 countries. The restrictions may be extended to an additional 36 countries, including many African nations, if they do not comply with U.S. demands regarding overstayed visas and security concerns. Advertisement The bans and restrictions were motivated by a commitment 'to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standard of national security and public safety through our visa process,' the State Department official said. Foreign doctors from countries covered by the bans and other restrictions could request a 'national interest exception,' according to the State Department. It was not immediately clear how that process would unfold. The American medical system relies heavily on physicians from other countries. One in five U.S. physicians was born and educated overseas, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. New doctors from other countries account for 1 in 6 medical residents and specializing fellows at U.S. teaching hospitals. In 2024, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates sponsored more than 15,500 doctors from more than 150 countries to fill residency or fellowship training spots at 770 hospitals. Related : Residents are new medical school graduates who complete their training by working for several years under the supervision of more experienced doctors, gaining experience and acquiring the skills needed for various specialties. They work up to 80 hours a week on average, earning relatively low salaries. Residents are the foot soldiers of hospitals, critical to their operations, said Dr. Douglas DeLong, a semiretired physician in upstate New York who has worked in academic training programs. 'If you're a patient in a hospital, the resident is the first doctor you see in the morning,' DeLong said. Many foreign medical residents stay and build their careers in the United States. Most go into primary care fields such as internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, areas of shortage that American medical graduates tend to avoid. Advertisement Many of the 6,653 noncitizen doctors accepted for residency positions in the United States this year had already secured visa appointments before May 27. Those from banned countries who are already in the country are able to remain. But an estimated 1,000 medical residents were not able to obtain visas allowing them to work in the United States. The vacancies will have disparate effects on hospitals, depending how heavily reliant they are on foreign medical talent. At Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, people queued up for emergency care Monday. The lobby thrummed with visitors clutching bouquets of roses, and patients nodded off on benches, waiting to be seen. Like many hospitals in underserved communities, Brookdale relies heavily on international medical graduates who are not U.S. citizens to staff the medical and pediatrics floors and outpatient clinics. 'It's a wait-and-watch situation,' Dr. Christos Paras, who oversees the residency program, said in an interview. 'We just don't know what the impact will be.' 'We have residents from literally all over the world,' he added. 'I am not exaggerating — every continent.' Brookdale's internal medicine residency program relies on foreign medical graduates to staff about 90% of its 55 positions. So far, two noncitizens have been blocked from entering the country, said Dr. Conrad Fischer, director of the program. 'If I am missing two or three people, I can go out and get the spots filled,' Fischer added. 'But next year, we're not talking about missing two or three — we're talking about missing thousands.' Advertisement If the travel restrictions are maintained, 'it would gut the program,' he said. Dr. Christos Paras, who oversees Brookdale's residency program, at the hospital on Monday. Paras said that Brookdale doesn't know "what the impact will be" on Trump's travel ban. NICOLE CRAINE/NYT Hospitals and clinics in rural areas of the country already struggle to recruit graduates of U.S. medical schools to their residency programs. They rely heavily on international graduates. New foreign doctors are not taking residency positions away from American medical school graduates. Just the opposite: This year, there were about 40,000 residency positions offered through the national match system, but only 28,000 graduates of U.S. medical schools. Foreign residents fill a crucial labor shortage. Hospitals are not allowed to overwork residents and may lose their accreditation as medical teaching institutions if they do. An insufficient number of residents could also cost them Medicare funds tied to graduate medical education. The noncitizen international medical graduates who make it to U.S. training programs are 'well-trained, well-qualified and motivated,' DeLong said. 'This is the new generation of physicians for Americans,' he added. 'These are the physicians who will take care of us as we age. They are the future of medicine.' This article originally appeared in .
