WASHINGTON DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) joined Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) and Brian Babin (R-TX-36) in introducing a bipartisan bill to help tackle the doctor and dentist shortage in rural and underserved areas. Nevada is currently experiencing a dire shortage of physicians and medical professionals. The bipartisan REDI Act would increase the number of doctors and dentists in underserved areas by allowing them to defer student loan payments without interest until the completion of their residency or internship programs.
“The shortage of doctors and dentists in our state is hurting Nevadans’ ability to get quality health care, and we need urgent action to address it,” said Senator Rosen. “That’s why I’m leading my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing this bipartisan bill to help increase the number of medical professionals who practice in rural and underserved areas. I’ll keep working on innovative steps to address the medical professional shortage and improve access to health care throughout Nevada.”
“Addressing the shortage of medical professionals is a necessary step in ensuring Arkansans are able to access affordable and reliable health care no matter where they live,” said Senator Boozman. “This bipartisan legislation is a practical effort that will encourage students to pursue careers in medicine by helping mitigate some of the financial barriers and burdens associated with internship and residency requirements.”
“College and university students in undergraduate and graduate programs are not required to start paying their loans until they complete them. That same policy should extend to dental and medical students through their internship and residency requirements,” said Rep. Houlahan. “I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation to help those pursuing a medical or dental degree by eliminating an unfair burden. We must continue to make these career paths more accessible, and this is a great first step in encouraging more people to enter this sector of the workforce.”
“The growing doctor shortage is a crisis we can’t afford to ignore. By passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, we can remove a major financial barrier for future physicians and dentists, making their education more accessible and strengthening our health care workforce,” said Rep. Babin. “This bill will not only save residents thousands of dollars in accrued interest but also encourage specialization and make it easier for providers to serve in rural communities. With strong bipartisan support and backing from leading medical and dental organizations, I urge my colleagues to support the REDI Act and invest in the future of American health care.”
“Student debt is a major source of stress for medical students, residents and new physicians,” said Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP, President, American Academy of Family Physicians. “The REDI Act allows medical students to qualify for interest-free deferment on their student loans while in a residency training program, creating more financial opportunity for physicians to choose family medicine and other primary care specialties. We are proud to support the REDI Act and know it can improve access to health care in rural and underserved communities and will help to address the physician workforce shortage.”
“Physicians and dentists incur sizable student debts that negatively impact the nation’s healthcare workforce and patient access to care,” said J. David Morrison, DMD, President of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. “For more than a decade, physicians and dentists have accrued interest on their federal student loans during residency even if they qualified to defer their payments. Restoring interest accrual relief during residency, as proposed in the REDI Act, would prevent residents from facing ballooning debt balances upon entering the workforce and make career paths in underserved areas, academia, and research more financially viable. The physician and dental community is grateful to Senators Rosen and Boozman and Representatives Babin and Houlahan for reintroducing this important legislation.”
The bill is supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Dental Association, the American College of Surgeons, and more.
Senator Rosen is working to address Nevada’s health care professional shortage and improve medical care access in the state. Last month, she introduced the bipartisan Train More Nurses Act to address the nursing shortage affecting communities across the nation. Rosen’s bipartisan Maximizing Health Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act was signed into law in 2022 to allow community health centers to use federal funds to establish new mobile health care units to increase access to health care services in rural and underserved communities. Last year, Senator Rosen pushed for more medical residency slots to be awarded to Nevada to help tackle the physician shortage.
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