"Specifically, the Department of Education (ED) must carry out a program to forgive the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on federal student loans for borrowers who are frontline health care workers."
Not sure if this is in reference to "all" student loan debt of medical students. If so, then no this is not going to happen as it creates a moral hazard and practical issue.
1.) Moral hazard: Several of us have already paid off a majority of our loans through residency or chosen less expensive medical schools. Unless this amount is refunded to us (which it wouldn't be), we have essentially lost relative income to others.
2.) Practical issue: Who qualifies for this? Surely the EM resident who was working overtime and helping intubate patients left and right during March 2020? What about the IM resident who saw 5-10 COVID patients on floor rotations in October 2020? Isn't that patient care too? How do you quantify this? The federal government has a difficult enough time deciding who is entitled to unemployment benefits which is infinitely less complicated. They're not going to dip their fingers into the nuances of health care so the solution is either they're going to pay all of us even if we were minimally involved creating another moral hazard as it's difficult to quantify.
