WASHINGTON, DC – May 8, 2008 – Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (MA-05) and Congressman Robin Hayes (NC-08) today introduced bipartisan legislation to help aid the recruitment and retention of skilled healthcare professionals in the National Guard and Reserves.  The legislation would update the current student loan repayment limits available to doctors, dentists, and other health care professionals in the reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces, so that they are consistent with those enjoyed by active duty personnel and more accurately reflect current medical and dental school tuition costs.

"I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help the National Guard and Reserves recruit and retain the health care professionals who provide such outstanding medical care to our military personnel serving around the world and here at home," said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas.  "The recruitment of skilled health professionals in the Reserves and National Guard is at an all-time low.  The strain on our citizen soldiers remains extremely high, and tuition and medical indebtedness among healthcare professionals has increased substantially in recent years.  Our legislation addresses this problem by raising the loan repayment ceiling for benefits available to those healthcare professionals currently in the Guard and Reserves, and to those considering such a career, so that they are competitive with similar repayment programs in both the private sector and the other branches of our military."

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, fifty-eight percent of medical students graduate with a debt of $100,000 of higher, and the average educational debt of indebted medical school graduates for the class of 2006 was $130,000.  Moreover, physicians often continue to accrue debt during their residencies.

The incentive loan repayment program used by the National Guard and Reserves to assist in recruiting medical professionals - the Healthcare Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) - has a repayment ceiling of $20,000 per year, and the maximum total repayment allowed is $50,000.  These numbers no longer adequately reflect the cost of a medical education in the United States and are not sufficient to maintain readiness levels in the reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"The proposed legislation to increase the Health Professional Loan Repayment ceiling for National Guard and Reserve soldiers to an amount equal to the Active Component of the United States Army will enable the Massachusetts National Guard to recruit and retain high quality medical professionals, contribute to the well being of the service men and women who sacrifice on behalf of our country and enable the National Guard to fulfill its mission to serve the people of the Commownealth of Massachusetts during times of natural disaster or other emergency and to provide ready, well trained professionals to the United States Military," said Major General Joseph C. Carter, Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard.


“I am proud to sponsor legislation that will increase the annual Health Professional Loan Repayment Plan for the Reserves and National Guard,” said Congressman Robin Hayes.  “With the extremely high costs of medical school tuition, providing incentives to assist healthcare professionals serving in the active duty military is vital.”

The legislation introduced by Tsongas and Hayes would increase the annual Health Professional Loan Repayment Plan for the Reserves and National Guard, so that it is consistent with the loan repayment amounts available to healthcare professionals serving in the active duty military.    Currently, active duty personnel can receive $38,300 per year and $114,000 in total to help repay medical and dental school tuition debt. 

"As we continue to ask more and more from our National Guard and Reserves, it is critically important that they have access to the tools that keep their ranks strong and keep our service members safe.  Increasing the Healthcare Professional Loan Repayment Program limit so that it more accurately reflects tuition costs and is competitive with other plans available to healthcare professionals is an important step in accomplishing this goal," Tsongas concluded.