Join Us in Supporting the REDI Act
Under the debt limit deal reached by Members of Congress and President Biden, the federal student loan payment and interest rate pause will end on August 30, 2023. The Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (REDI Act H.R. 1202/S. 702) – bipartisan legislation that mirrors the current interest rate pause – would provide interest-free deferment for all orthodontic students while in residency.
Passing the REDI Act is an AAO priority, now needed more than ever as interest begins accumulating again this year.
U.S. Congressman Brian Babin, DDS (R-TX), U.S. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Senator Jackey Rosen (D-NV) reintroduced the REDI Act in the 118th Congress (the current session that ends in January 2025). The bill aims to address the growing doctor shortage, help make medical education more affordable, and boost health care outcomes across the United States.
Dr. Kyla Swearingen, a 2023 graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Center orthodontic residency program, offers perspective on the impact of student loan debt on new graduates and their career choices in a video prepared for AAO Advocacy.
“I grew up in West Virginia and drove an hour to my orthodontist,” says Dr. Swearingen. “If you’re making a $6,000 dollar per month student loan payment, and you want to open up a practice in rural America, it just isn’t feasible.”
Graduating orthodontic residents today average over $560,000 in student loan debt. Current federal student loan policy does not really account for a professional’s ability to repay student loans, resulting in policies that compound the student loan crisis and undermine a federal goal to expand the number of medical professionals in the United States. The AAO is concerned about the burden of such large amounts of debt on its current members, in addition to discouraging future members – particularly those from underserved communities – from entering the profession.
Deferment of interest will prevent students from being punished during their residency with higher debt balances and make options of serving in underserved areas more accessible and affordable, further perpetuating workforce shortages in areas of most need.
Please help keep our advocacy momentum going by contacting Members of Congress and asking them to co-sponsor the REDI Act in the 118th Congress (the current Congressional session, running through January 2025).
In addition, please help support AAO Advocacy priorities including student loan debt relief by making your 2023 contribution at AAOPAC.org. AAOPAC is helping to fuel our advocacy success not only in Washington, D.C. but in states throughout the country as well. Our AAOPAC Pillars of Giving are working and the AAO’s advocacy influence continues to grow through AAO member grassroots engagement.
The AAO joins over 40 other associations in the medical and dental communities in supporting the REDI Act. Read the latest letter sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions here.
