The HR 4223 bill

[BWA1991]

SDNers,
Please take the time and read into H.R. 4223, the “Protecting Our Students By Terminating Graduate Rates That Add to Debt” Act or POST GRAD Act.
Here's a link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4223/text

This bill works to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to offer subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans to dental students and other graduate/professional students, thus lowering interest rates and decreasing debt we will accrue during and after school. This is important for those of us that may want to work public health or research or even do residencies but might be otherwise swayed to go straight into practicing because of the crippling debt and interest.

Established dentists: As many of you know, tuition and interests rates are much higher now for dental school than they were in the past. How this affects you: Dentists coming out of dental school with such high amounts of debt tend to go where they can afford to pay off the debt instead of areas that may need dentists but offer a much lower income. Since I'm not out of school yet (actually starting school in August) it may have a bigger effect on you than I know. Please reach out to your state lawmakers to cosponsor this bill. If you check with the ADA, they may have a link that makes sending an email to your representative easy, like the ASDA has done.

My fellow dental students: The ASDA has made it super simple to get involved. Go to the link provided below this paragraph and just fill in your information. An informative email is automatically generated for us!
http://cqrcengage.com/asda/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=191732

If anyone needs the appropriate representative for any state, pm me and I'll find that information for you!

This helps alleviate us from some of our crippling debt! Please take action!

Also, thoughts on this bill or any other information that might be relevant to dental school debt would be welcomed!


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[whaleofatale]

What? Dental students DO have access to Federal Direct Stafford Loans...

 

[BWA1991]

What? Dental students DO have access to Federal Direct Stafford Loans...

My apologies, I forgot to include subsidized. Graduate students / professional students are no longer offered subsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans.


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[alexeb91]

Ok which table are you sitting at?! #lobbyday #toothparty


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[DoctaFauci]

Data and surveys show that student debt actually minimally affects students' career decisions and the geographic distribution of practice locations. To help reduce oral health disparities and better distribute dentists, we need to find a way to 1) incentivize dentists to practice in those locations monetarily 2) matriculate students from underserved areas.

That being said, legislators will never listen to dentists and dental students who legislate on their own behalf (i.e. "Please help us because our student debt is so high and the golden age is over!"). Congress literally sees dental tuition as a supply and demand situation: there is no lack of applicants to dental school, so just raise the tuition to offset your deficits...

The only way legislators will actually begin to consider dental advocacy is when dentists begin to advocate on behalf of patients on show the real dollar value of that legislation for the tax base. Until dental schools do their job in matriculating underrepresented minorities, students from rural/underserved areas, and develop research that actually demonstrates the negative economic impact high dental tuition has on society at large, this advocacy is a waste of time and money.

 

[BWA1991]

Data and surveys show that student debt actually minimally affects students' career decisions and the geographic distribution of practice locations. To help reduce oral health disparities and better distribute dentists, we need to find a way to 1) incentivize dentists to practice in those locations monetarily 2) matriculate students from underserved areas.

That being said, legislators will never listen to dentists and dental students who legislate on their own behalf (i.e. "Please help us because our student debt is so high and the golden age is over!"). Congress literally sees dental tuition as a supply and demand situation: there is no lack of applicants to dental school, so just raise the tuition to offset your deficits...

The only way legislators will actually begin to consider dental advocacy is when dentists begin to advocate on behalf of patients on show the real dollar value of that legislation for the tax base. Until dental schools do their job in matriculating underrepresented minorities, students from rural/underserved areas, and develop research that actually demonstrates the negative economic impact high dental tuition has on society at large, this advocacy is a waste of time and money.

Sources?


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