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Resident Debt Relief

Advocating for You: Assisting the next generation of physician anesthesiologists
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Why This Matters

As the future of the specialty, residents are on the front-lines of health care, often while experiencing exorbitant amounts of student debt.

ASA urges Congress to provide student loan relief for residents and medical students that recognizes their role in providing care to patients.

What You Should Know

The cost of graduate-level medical education is substantial for physicians in training. Physicians in residency receive very low compensation and are often unable to begin repaying student loan debt immediately. These residents can qualify to have their payments halted during residency through deferment or forbearance processes. However, the loans continue to accrue interest that accumulates to the overall loan balance.

What ASA is Doing For You

  • Reps. Brian Babin, D.D.S. (R-TX-36) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) introduced H.R. 1202, the "Resident Education Deferred Interest" (REDI) Act. A Senate version of the bill has not yet been introduced this Congress. The bill would allow borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on their student loans while serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program.
  • ASA advocated for this legislation at the 2019 Legislative Conference, garnering a total of 89 co-sponsors.

 

What You Can Do Now

Actions you can take today 

 

Explore Additional Resources

Read the Legislative Text of the REDI Act
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This page is curated by Amada Cate, Associate Director of Governmental and Political Outreach, and was last updated March 2023.