Dear Advocate,
Today’s new dentists start their careers with nearly $305,000 in educational debt ($270,125 for graduates from public dental schools and $349,730 for graduates from private dental schools). A contributing factor: federal student loan interest rates that can reach as high as 9.5 or 10.5 percent. The interest begins accruing immediately, and continues to accrue throughout the new dentist’s low- or non-paying dental or medical residency, adding tens of thousands of dollars to their debt.
Today, we are asking you to tell your members of Congress to support the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act. If enacted, this bill would allow dental and medical residents to automatically defer payments on their federal student loans until after their dental or medical residency is completed. It would also suspend the accrual of interest during their residency period.
The REDI Act is one of several bills the ADA is advocating for to make educational debt manageable for the next generation of dentists. It will not eliminate the burden of educational debt, but it will help offset the unprecedented financial challenges that new dentists face at graduation.
Please email your members of Congress and ask them to support the REDI Act. In doing so, they can express their support in a key way for dental and medical providers who provide essential care to patients nationwide.
TAKE ACTION NOW