1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

Voting in favor of the proposed legislation that caps federal student loan borrowing and eliminates critical programs like Grad PLUS loans could severely undermine efforts to address the physician shortage. These changes risk making medical education unattainable for many aspiring doctors, especially those from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Limiting access to affordable financing options will deter qualified individuals from pursuing careers in medicine, exacerbating the challenges our communities already face in accessing quality healthcare. Furthermore, excluding medical residency from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program removes a crucial incentive for physicians to choose lower-compensated specialties like primary care or to work in underserved areas. This policy shift threatens to worsen the maldistribution of healthcare providers, leaving vulnerable populations with even fewer options for obtaining essential medical services. Professional education is expensive because it is intensive and hands on. Your vote to restrict access to student loan forgiveness and cap Grad Plus loans means that our world class professional schools in Louisiana will struggle to attract talented students. Brilliant young people will lose access to educational opportunities. The proposed legislative changes undermine the core mission of our academic medical institutions – to train a diverse healthcare workforce capable of meeting the evolving needs of our communities. I urge you to reconsider supporting measures that could price out aspiring medical professionals and ultimately diminish patient access to care. Protecting pathways to an affordable, high-quality medical education should be a paramount priority.