PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Oral Health Update
SUPPORT HB 1259:
INCREASING FUNDING FOR DENTISTS IN PA’S PRIMARY CARE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
Bill addresses crippling student debt while also improving access to dental care in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania faces a two-front crisis for its dental students and thousands of underserved patients. Dental students pursue a rigorous education, hoping to apply what they learn through clinical treatment of patients. Patients throughout the state live in rural pockets where they cannot access the necessary care to treat their dental problems.
Unfortunately, when dentists graduate from school, their crippling debt financially prevents them from setting up practices in such regions. Patients suffer the consequences of this reality, and they find themselves either traveling far distances to seek treatment or letting their oral health continue to decline.
A bill in the House of Representatives, introduced by Rep. Karen Boback (R – Luzerne), seeks to address this problem.
HB 1259 would increase the funding available for dentists enrolled in the state’s Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, which offers loan repayment assistance to dentists who agree to practice in a Health Professional Shortage Area in Pennsylvania. The statistics alone tell us why it is necessary to increase funding:
1. Pennsylvania has 85 dental health professional shortage areas. In those shortage areas, only 9 dentists are enrolled in the Primary Care Loan Repayment Program.
2. Over 90% of dental students graduate with student debt. According to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the cost of student loan debt has grown more than 100% in the last 10 years and the average debt for graduates is now more than $247,000.
More than 75% of students graduate with more than $100,000 in student loans.
3. Student debt has doubled since 2001. The average yearly in-state tuition is $38,826, while the average yearly out of state tuition is $53,774.
4. Upon graduation, dentists grapple with the reality of their debt when considering pursuing specialty training, entering private practice, working in underserved communities, entering public service, or teaching or researching at a dental school. These decisions impact access to oral health for Pennsylvanians.
5. Rising educational costs and indebtedness often make a dental career appear unaffordable and unattractive to prospective students.
Through passage of HB 1259, dentists could better serve patients in need of care:
1. The bill would increase funds for dentists in the Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, improving access to dental care by influencing where dentists locate their practices in Pennsylvania.
2. New dentists with enormous debt would take advantage of the financial incentives to reduce student loan repayments. As small business owners, this is beneficial to dentists. The price of starting or purchasing a practice can cost hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars.
3. Loan repayment would strengthen the overall economy of countless communities throughout Pennsylvania. The bill would encourage dental school graduates to practice in underserved areas, increasing the workforce by employing hygienists, assistants and office staff.
Through your support of this critical piece of legislation, you would bring more dentists to underserved areas of the state to treat Pennsylvanians in need of care. You would also improve their financial stability, allowing them to practice in such regions. Please consider supporting HB 1259 today!
2