The Obama Administration announced this week $9.1 million in National Health Service Corps awards to provide loan repayment assistance for medical students who commit to serve in a “health professional shortage area.” Made possible through the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the funding gives up to $120,000 to fourth-year med students. The average medical school debt of the students receiving these awards is estimated at over $200,000.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement, “This new program is an innovative approach to encouraging more medical students to work as primary care doctors. This is an important part of the Administration’s commitment to building the future health care workforce.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that the U.S. will have a shortage of 21,000 primary care physicians by 2015.
