Nursing and PA groups sue Education Department over loan caps
Business
Nursing and physician assistant (PA) groups are taking the US Department of Education to court over new student loan limits.
The rule now treats nursing and PA programs as non-professional degrees, capping loans at $20,500 a year and $50,000 total.
These groups say the change could scare off future nurses and PAs, just when health care needs them most.
PA training costs up to $160,000
Becoming a PA can cost up to $160,000 with living expenses included, way more than the new loan limits cover.
Since students train 60 to 80 hours a week; most can't work on the side and rely on loans to get by.
Todd Pickard from the AAPA warns that cutting loan access threatens health care delivery, where PAs fill critical gaps.