San Diego, CA – Today, Representatives Scott Peters (CA-50) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) hosted a roundtable with local health center staff, doctors, residents, and medical education professionals. The group discussed the Republican tax bill’s changes to student loans and the consequences of increasing barriers to medical school.  

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminates the Graduate PLUS program, sets new limits on student loan borrowing, and makes drastic changes to loan repayment plans that limit options for new borrowers. Roughly half of all medical students in the U.S. rely on Grad PLUS loans to pay for school. The bill jeopardizes the healthcare workforce pipeline, exacerbating the country’s physician shortage at the same time that hospitals could be forced to close because of the bill’s cuts to Medicaid.  

“Increasing the already heavy financial burden of a quality medical education will make everyone less healthy,” said Rep. Peters. “Fewer doctors, combined with drastically less Medicaid funding for our hospitals, is a recipe for a public health disaster. Congress should be supporting our medical education programs and making it easier, not harder, for people to become a doctor and save lives.” 

Rep. Peters brought together community leaders who spoke about the consequences the bill will have on current and future medical students, patients, and our communities.

“Republicans’ new budget will make us sicker and keep us sicker by kicking millions of people off their health insurance, closing rural hospitals, and worsening our health care workforce shortage by making it even harder for students to go to medical school,” said Rep. Jacobs. “That’s why it was so important to hear from medical residents and residency staffers today, so we’re prepared to fight the implementation of this law and ready to improve our health care system when we’re back in power.” 

"As a Teaching Health Center that trains physicians, we know how vital it is to maintain a strong pipeline of qualified providers—especially in primary care shortage areas,” said Family Health Centers of San Diego. “We appreciate Representatives Peters and Jacobs leading this discussion on how new federal student loan policies could impact the healthcare workforce in our community." 

“The recent changes to federal student financial aid will have far-reaching consequences for medical schools nationwide, including UC San Diego,” said Michelle Daniel, M.D., MHPE, vice dean for medical education, UC San Diego School of Medicine. “The elimination of GradPLUS loans and the caps on federal borrowing levels will limit access to education for many highly qualified students who cannot afford the cost of medical school. This reduction in funding not only affects our students, but also the patients and communities we serve. Limited access to medical education will only exacerbate the existing physician shortage, particularly in our underserved communities where the need for quality health care is greatest. We are concerned about the long-term implications of these changes and urge policymakers to consider the critical role that federal student financial aid plays in shaping the future of our health care workforce.” 

Rep. Peters voted against the disastrous Republican tax plan because it will force millions of Americans of their health insurance, cut food assistance for hungry families, wipe away clean energy investments, and add trillions to the national debt. He has also long advocated to address the unsustainable cost of college. Rep. Peters authored one of the only student loan reforms bills that’s become law in the last ten years. His Employer Participation in Repayment Act makes employer-provided student loan payments tax-exempt up to $5,250 a year.  

Additional photos from the event are available courtesy of Rep. Peters’ office here. 

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