OPINION:
As both a dentist and a member of Congress, I have dedicated my life to improving the health and wellbeing of the American people. Throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges our nation’s health care system faces, from overwhelmed providers to lack of access to care in rural areas. Among the most pressing issues we must address are the skyrocketing costs of education and the growing shortage of health care providers across the country. These problems are deeply intertwined, and they demand a serious, solutions-oriented response.
To help confront these challenges, I introduced H.R. 2028, the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act. This bill delivers a straightforward yet powerful fix to a financial burden that is uniquely placed on the shoulders of our future health care providers: the accrual of student loan interest during medical and dental residencies.
Right now, under current federal law, medical and dental school graduates are required to begin paying off their student loans and accruing interest, even while they are still in residency training. These individuals work long hours in high-stress environments, serve patients, and earn only modest stipends during these critical years of postgraduate education. Despite their service and dedication, these men and women are penalized financially before they’ve even had a chance to fully enter their profession.
This system serves as a deterrent for many aspiring providers. It discourages many bright and compassionate students from entering medical or dental school at all, and it drives others away from pursuing vital careers in primary care, pediatrics, and rural medicine areas where we face serious shortages.
The REDI Act combats this by allowing medical and dental residents to defer interest payments on their federal student loans until after they complete their training. This simple adjustment will save these future health care professionals thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars in accrued interest. More importantly, it makes the path to becoming a physician or specialist more accessible and affordable, especially for students from low- and middle-income families.
By easing this financial burden, the REDI Act empowers new graduates to make career choices based on passion and need, not on how quickly they can pay down debt. That means more young professionals choosing to serve in communities that need care the most, more educators training the next generation of providers, and more researchers advancing the science that keeps Americans healthy.
Our nation’s health care system depends on a steady pipeline of well-trained, compassionate professionals. But that pipeline is under pressure. We must act now to ensure we have enough health care providers to meet the demands of an aging population and an evolving health care landscape.
The REDI Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that strengthens our health care workforce, expands access to care, and ensures the long-term sustainability of the American health care system.
I am proud to lead this effort in Congress and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting the REDI Act. Together, we can lift an unnecessary burden from those who dedicate their lives to healing others and help secure a healthier future for all Americans.
• Rep. Brian Babin has represented Texas’ 36th congressional district since 2015. was sworn into the 114th Congress on January 6, 2015. Babin serves as the Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
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