APA advocacy for loan forgiveness - covid-19

[AbnormalPsych]

What does this group think about APA's efforts to advocate to include psychologists in the movement to forgive the student loan debt of frontline health workers providing care for those impacted by COVID-19?

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[WisNeuro]

I'm not a fan of loan forgiveness in general. Just kicks the can down the road, doesn't solve the problem of high cost higher education. Just likely exacerbates the problem as people will continue to take out astronomical loan sums and assume that it will be forgiven down the road.

 

[Sanman]

Ain't gonna happen.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

Ain't gonna happen.

Agreed.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

I don't think this is a reasonable thing to advocate for, for some of the reasons @WisNeuro mentioned.

I also wonder what % of psychologists are working in settings where COVID-19 is a a high risk factor (e.g., emergency rooms, jails, inpatient units) versus private practice, outpatient CBOCs, etc. How did this movement start? Did someone in APA decide to jump in on psychologists being in healthcare and equate us to ER nurses and MDs in this sense of risk? Didn't they sign up for that?

Just weird in many ways. Lots of questions.

 

[WisNeuro]

I don't think this is a reasonable thing to advocate for, for some of the reasons @WisNeuro mentioned.

I also wonder what % of psychologists are working in settings where COVID-19 is a a high risk factor (e.g., emergency rooms, jails, inpatient units) versus private practice, outpatient CBOCs, etc. How did this movement start? Did someone in APA decide to jump in on psychologists being in healthcare and equate us to ER nurses and MDs in this sense of risk? Didn't they sign up for that?

Just weird in many ways. Lots of questions.

They just asked the neuropsychs at my sister hospital to see patients on the COVID wards. For what, I have no idea. Can't imagine any kind of testing that couldn't wait. For some reason, they agreed to it. I already have my answer and documentation ready if/when they ask me.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

It seemed like an odd thing to advocate for, although I suppose it makes sense relative to the alternative (i.e., other health professions asking for it but psychology being silent). I agree with others that I anticipate no chance of it going through.

In general, I'm becoming increasingly disquieted by all the money the govt is attempting to throw at COVID. But that's just me.

 

[Sanman]

It seemed like an odd thing to advocate for, although I suppose it makes sense relative to the alternative (i.e., other health professions asking for it but psychology being silent). I agree with others that I anticipate no chance of it going through.

In general, I'm becoming increasingly disquieted by all the money the govt is attempting to throw at COVID. But that's just me.

I'm not sure that it is the amount of money that bothers me so much as the poor implementation by both sides of the isle. Lots of people that don't need money getting it for no reason, big and small. Basing payments on tax returns from two years ago rather than figuring out how to help those with problems now, etc. More proposals from both sides to throw money at people for no reason. So healthcare providers will get this even if we have been home during COVID-19 and not exposed? No way to ensure you were a front line provider or not. Give more more to big corporations? Give $2000/mth to 93% of Americans, but screw the other 7 percent?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'm not sure that it is the amount of money that bothers me so much as the poor implementation by both sides of the isle. Lots of people that don't need money getting it for no reason, big and small. Basing payments on tax returns from two years ago rather than figuring out how to help those with problems now, etc. More proposals from both sides to throw money at people for no reason. So healthcare providers will get this even if we have been home during COVID-19 and not exposed? No way to ensure you were a front line provider or not. Give more more to big corporations? Give $2000/mth to 93% of Americans, but screw the other 7 percent?

Yeah, I imagine that's probably a big part of where my unease is coming from--the seemingly haphazard approach to throwing the money around (in addition, for me, to the raw amounts of it all).

 

[WisNeuro]

I'm with Sanman, if that money was allocated well, it'd be awesome and would actually help out the collapse and people who are unemployed. But, when it's going to large companies who pay zero or little in taxes anyway, kind of defeats the point.

 

[Sanman]

I'm with Sanman, if that money was allocated well, it'd be awesome and would actually help out the collapse and people who are unemployed. But, when it's going to large companies who pay zero or little in taxes anyway, kind of defeats the point.

It is that and the individual payouts too. My retired mother and in-laws got money as well. There was no income hit for them. Just free money. If my wife or I lose one of our jobs, too bad above the threshold on your own.

 

[deleted343839]

At the moment I think there are better uses of $millions/billions than relieving psychologists' student debt. Relatively few psychologists are actively working in-person in ICUs or ERs other high-risk medical settings, and for them I'd wager that debt cancellation is not their top priority right now.