Would-be physician assistants deterred by strict caps on US student loans

Strict new caps on federal student loans are causing would-be physician assistants to reconsider training, groups representing physician assistants said. An overhaul of the federal student loan system scheduled to go into effect 1 July strictly caps the annual amount of federal loans physician assistants can borrow to $20,500 per year – less than half the median annual cost of a PA program. Strict caps imposed by the Department of Education (DOE) come even as Health and Human Services (HHS) has bet on physician assistants to help with the rural healthcare shortages. “My credit score was a 400,” said Todd Pickard, president of the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), a group representing more than 200,000 physician assistants nationally. He graduated in 1997. “There was nobody privately that was going to give me a dime. And my parents are not rich people, so they weren’t going to say, ‘Here’s $100,000 – take it.’” Beginning 1 July, the Republican-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Obbba) will end the Grad Plus federal loan program, cap federal graduate loans at $20,000 per year, and cap loans for professional education at $50,000 per year. At issue is the definition of “professional”: the DoE deemed most programs “ graduate ,” including healthcare providers such as physician assistants. The groups argue they meet criteria set by the OBBBA to be considered professional and thus should be subject to the higher loan cap. …