Protecting access to high-quality health care is central to health philanthropy, and that depends on a well-prepared, robust health workforce. For decades, grantmakers have supported health workforce pipelines across health and human services disciplines, encouraging students to enter these critical fields.
The U.S. Department of Education recently published a proposed rule that would narrow the definition of which graduate programs qualify as “professional degrees” for federal student loan purposes, affecting how much students in certain health fields may borrow. Under the proposal, degrees in nursing, nurse practitioner programs, physician assistant studies, public health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, and social work would not be classified as professional degrees for purposes of federal financial aid. As a result, students pursuing these degrees could face lower borrowing loan limits.
Finalizing this rule will result in reduced access to care (especially in rural and other underserved communities), by making graduate education less affordable, disrupting health workforce pipelines, and creating obstacles for students to enter essential health and human-services professions.
For more information, see analyses by the American Hospital Association, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions.
Take Action
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is urging funders to sign on to our comment letter on this proposed rule by Friday, February 27. Your voice matters—the Department of Education must consider all comments submitted before finalizing the rule. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has prepared another sign-on letter, and we urge funders to join their comment as well (or submit their own).
Additional Resources
- GIH Resource: Public Comments on Federal Rulemaking
- Federal Register: Commenting on Federal Register Documents
- National Health Law Program: Do My Comments Really Matter? Demystifying the Public Comment Process
If your organization does submit their own comment, please share a copy with Ann Rodgers so GIH can track the field’s response to this issue.