Cardiologists, heart surgeons support push to make postgraduate medical training more affordable
More than 40 healthcare organizations have signed a letter urging U.S. policymakers to advance a bill that would reduce financial burden associated with medical school. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), American College of Cardiology (ACC), Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Society for Vascular Surgery are among the organizations supporting this bipartisan legislation.
The Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, if passed, would allow eligible residents and interns to defer interest accrual on any federal student loans during their required postgraduate training.
The bill was first introduced by U.S. Reps. Brian Babin, a Republican from Texas, and Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.
“This bill will not only save residents thousands of dollars in accrued interest, but also encourage specialization and make it easier for providers to serve in rural communities,” Babin said in 2025 statement about the bill. “With strong bipartisan support and backing from leading medical and dental organizations, I urge my colleagues to support the REDI Act and invest in the future of American healthcare.”
“College and university students in undergraduate and graduate programs are not required to start paying their loans until they complete them,” Houlahan added. “That same policy should extend to dental and medical students through their internship and residency requirements.”
In the new letter, SCAI, ACC and the other organization emphasized that medical and dental students graduate with high levels of educational debt. By helping reduce some of that burden, they wrote, the REDI Act can help support “the next generation of physicians and dentists while strengthening the nation’s healthcare workforce.”
The groups also explained that this bill, if signed into law, could help improve patient access to high-quality care by encouraging more physicians to serve in communities where shortages have persisted for years.
“This not only improves timely access to care but also helps avoid preventable complications and reduce unnecessary healthcare costs,” they wrote.
Click here to read the full letter.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.