# Understanding the Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act of 2021

This bill makes several changes to help physician assistants get better education and training opportunities. Physician assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of doctors to provide medical care. Right now, they're often left out of federal education support programs that help other healthcare professionals, and this bill aims to fix that.

The bill does four main things. First, it allows physician assistants to access federal student loans that were previously unavailable to them. Specifically, it reinstates subsidized Stafford loans for PA students, which means the government pays the interest while they're in school—a real financial break compared to unsubsidized loans where interest keeps piling up. Second, it makes physician assistants eligible for loan forgiveness programs if they work in primary care or teach at PA programs. This is similar to benefits doctors and nurses already get, so it levels the playing field and encourages PAs to work in underserved areas where healthcare is needed most.

Third, the bill opens up grant funding for physician assistant programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black institutions. These schools can now use federal grants to build better facilities, improve distance learning technology, and partner with other colleges to expand their PA programs. Fourth, it gives preference to Hispanic-serving institutions that want to start or expand PA education programs, and it allows rural colleges to use federal funding to develop new PA programs as a way to bring more healthcare workers to rural communities.

In practical terms, this bill makes it easier and more affordable for people to become physician assistants, particularly those attending minority-serving colleges. It also encourages PAs to work in areas that desperately need healthcare providers, like rural communities and underserved neighborhoods, by offering the same financial incentives that doctors and nurses already receive.

Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act of 2021

Bass, Karen

Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act of 2021 This bill assists qualified individuals in receiving the education and training needed to become a physician assistant. Graduate students enrolled in physician assistant education programs are eligible for (1) Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans, and (2) loan forgiveness programs for those who serve in areas of national need upon graduation. The bill also requires the Department of Education to <ul> <li>provide historically Black colleges and universities and predominantly Black institutions with grants to fund physician assistant studies at the masters level, </li> <li>prioritize the awarding of grants for physician assistant education programs at the postbaccalaureate level that will benefit Hispanic and low-income students, and</li> <li>allow certain grants to be used to support student matriculation and establish physician assistant education programs at rural-serving institutions of higher education.</li> </ul>