The AAMC-endorsed (PDF) Strengthening Pathways to Health Professions Act (H.R. 10280) was introduced by Reps. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) and Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) on Dec. 3. The bill seeks to increase access to health professional programs by extending the tax-exempt status provided to the National Health Service Corps program to similar Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) health care workforce programs.
Specifically, the bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude certain health professions education scholarship and loan repayment programs — including the Faculty Loan Repayment Program; Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program; and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program — from gross income. By exempting these awards from federal income tax, more funds would be available for HRSA to make additional or higher awards and for awardees to pay tuition, fees, and other costs.
Tokuda’s corresponding press release on the bill's introduction included a quote from AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, who stated, “the savings provided through the Strengthening Pathways to Health Professions Act will allow HRSA to make additional awards through several important Title VII and VIII workforce programs. Studies show that these programs increase the number of underrepresented students enrolled in health professions schools, heighten awareness of factors contributing to health disparities, and attract health professionals more likely to serve in rural and underserved areas.”