Tax bill would cut availability of med school loans amid doctor shortage

[MayReasonRule]

A little-discussed provision on student loan policies in President Trump's massive budget bill would restrict borrowing for medical school and possibly exacerbate the country's physician shortage.

Why it matters: The U.S. is already projected to face a deficit of 187,130 physicians by 2037, with shortages particularly acute in specialties like vascular and thoracic surgery.

What they're saying: "We've got a tsunami of challenges already to deal with," said David Bergman, a senior vice president at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). "It just will be exacerbated by a lack of access to reasonably priced student loans."

State of play: The GOP-led reconciliation bill moving through Congress would eliminate a federal loan program for graduate students called Grad PLUS. Loans would become unavailable for new borrowers starting in the 2026-2027 school year and for existing borrowers in the 2029-2030 term.

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/tax-bill-medical-student-loan-limits

No zero payments for unemployment or financial hardship, getting rid of all of the IBR/IDR plans, changing payment terms from 20 to 30 years and now this...