Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25) joined a group of bipartisan lawmakers in calling on the Department of Education to implement a regulatory fix to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program that currently excludes doctors in California and Texas from receiving federal student loan forgiveness. The California Medical Association (CMA) estimates that the fix could bring 10,000 physicians to the state over the next decade.
 
“California is expected to have one of the largest doctor shortages over the next decade. It is critical that young doctors in California have equal access to federal student loan forgiveness so that we are able to attract and retain the next generation of medical professionals,” said Garcia. “I hope the Department of Education will make this necessary change that will help prevent the doctor shortage our state faces and put California and Texas on equal footing with the rest of the country.” 
 
The PSLF program was intended to forgive student loans for an individual who has worked for ten years in the public sector. Currently, the PSLF program unintentionally excludes physicians from California and Texas due to existing state law.
 
Garcia also co-sponsored the bipartisan Stopping Doctor Shortages Act, or H.R. 1133, which would make a technical correction to the PSLF Program that would allow physicians from California to access the program. 
 
Read the letter here.