Student loans would be forgiven for health care workers under bill backed by Democrats

A new bill supported by some House Democrats would forgive student loans for frontline health care workers, media outlets reported.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would forgive student loans for medical professionals at no cap, according to The Hill. The Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, which was backed by other Democrats, would create a private and federal loan forgiveness program for doctors, nurses, interns, medical residents and technicians.

“Health care workers are worrying about their own health and how it will affect their families,” Maloney said in a statement. “They should not have to worry about their financial security after the crisis has passed.”

The bill defines a frontline worker as a “doctor, medical resident, medical intern, medical fellow, nurse, home health care worker, mental health professional, or other health care professional.”

Medical students providing health services related to COVID-19, lab staff and researchers working on vaccines and testing, and emergency medical services workers would also be eligible.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) also introduced a bill that would forgive more widespread student loans, but the proposed law applies only to public loans and is capped at $30,000.

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Student loans would be forgiven for health care workers under bill backed by Democrats."