Federal Loan Caps Add Barriers — And Likely Debt

Federal Loan Caps Add Barriers — And Likely Debt — for Healthcare Students Would you move back in with your parents to save money and pay for your education to become a nurse or physician assistant? New federal student-loan caps are forcing some people with dreams of a healthcare career to get creative. KFF Health News correspondent Lauren Sausser told WAMU’s Health Hub how a plan to curb student debt could inadvertently reshape the healthcare workforce. The federal government is capping the amount graduate students can borrow. The Department of Education says the new rules are designed to help curb student debt and pressure schools to lower tuition. But some loan experts fear those good intentions could leave many at the mercy of private lenders with higher interest rates. Saddling healthcare graduate students with pricier debt burdens can narrow their career choices. KFF Health News correspondent Lauren Sausser joined WAMU’s Health Hub on July 22 to explain how the loan caps could make healthcare provider shortages worse or compromise the diversity of the workforce. Plus, she discusses how some states are pushing back against the new rules.