Senate Bill Would Make Medical, Dental, and Nursing School Tuition-Free
Credit: Bloomberg / Bloomberg / Getty Images- The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act proposed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley would create tuition-free healthcare programs for many students.
- Lawmakers say the bill would address U.S. healthcare worker shortages.
- Altogether, the bill’s programs would cost an estimated $276 billion over 10 years.
A sweeping Senate proposal aims to subsidize the cost of medical, dental, and nursing school to address healthcare workforce shortages across the U.S.
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act, proposed by Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon on Sept. 30, would create tuition-free healthcare programs. Specifically, it aims to incentivize students to become primary care physicians and for dentists to serve rural communities.
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“Despite spending twice as much per person on healthcare as almost any major country on Earth, we have a massive shortage of doctors, dentists, and nurses,” Sanders said in a statement.
“In the richest country in the history of the world, we can no longer tolerate a broken healthcare system where tens of millions of Americans cannot find a doctor, a dentist, or a nurse, while many others are forced to wait months to be seen.”
The proposal also includes over $5 billion for medical, dental, and nursing schools to accommodate increases in enrollment.
Lastly, it would create $20,000 relocation grants to encourage existing healthcare workers to relocate to rural communities.
Free Tuition for Healthcare Degrees
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act would create three new grants for professional students: MED Grants, DENTAL Grants, and NURSE Grants.
The three programs would share many similarities, including:
- They are only applicable at accredited, nonprofit institutions.
- Students are eligible for grants for up to eight years.
- If a student fails to meet work requirements, grants become student loans.
- Applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The key differences come in the work requirements after graduating.
MED Grant: Graduates must work as a primary care physician — medical or osteopathic — for at least 10 years.
DENTAL Grant: Graduates must practice general dental care in a rural community for at least 10 years.
NURSE Grant: No postgraduation work requirement.
For the MED and DENTAL grants, graduates must certify their employment annually. This ensures they are continually meeting work requirements so that their grants do not become unsubsidized Stafford loans.
Want to learn more about degrees that can land jobs in healthcare? Check out our resources.
Grants for Healthcare Programs, Universities
The bill sets aside nearly $5.4 billion for direct funding to help colleges and universities increase their enrollment.
- Medical schools: $2.8 billion
- Dental schools: $615 million
- Nursing schools: $1.98 billion
The proposal outlines how much each discipline should increase enrollment over the next five years.
According to a bill summary, the goal is to increase medical school enrollment from an estimated 35,000 students per year to 78,750 students by 2030. Dental school enrollment would increase from 7,000 to 10,080 students annually, and nursing school enrollment from 67,000 students to 113,230 students per year.
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act would also invest money into increasing the availability of medical residencies, including at community health centers.
Rural Relocation Grant
The bill would establish a relocation grant program to incentivise physicians, nurses, and dentists to work in rural America.
Applicants can receive up to $20,000 to cover relocation costs. They must, however, meet the following requirements:
- Be licensed to practice medicine, nursing, or dentistry in the state they plan to relocate to
- Be practicing in a nonrural area prior to relocating
- Intend to practice in a rural area for at least three years
“This is not a radical idea,” the bill summary states. “Rural relocation grants for healthcare professionals already exist in countries like Australia and Canada.”
If someone awarded a grant fails to practice in the region for at least three years, they must pay back 50% of the grant.
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act sets aside $1.8 billion over the next decade to fund rural relocation grants.