March 9, 2023
The Honorable Brian Babin
U.S. House of Representatives
2236 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Chrissy Houlahan
U.S. House of Representatives
1218 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Jacky Rosen
U.S. Senate
555 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable John Boozman
U.S. Senate
141 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senators Rosen and Boozman and Representatives Babin and Houlahan:

On behalf of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), which
represents more than 9,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) in the United States, I
wish to thank you for your continued leadership on addressing the significant and negative
impact that student debt has on our nation’s physicians and dentists through thereintroduction of the “Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act” (S 704/HR 1202).
The bill, if passed, will allow borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on theirstudent loans while serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program.
As you are aware, physicians and dentists undertake several years of residency with very
low pay and are often unable to begin repaying their substantial student debt immediately.
As a result, they qualify to have their payments halted during residency through deferment
or forbearance processes, but they continue to accrue interest that can add tens of
thousands of dollars to their loan balance over the life of the loan.
The REDI Act prevents physicians and dentists from being penalized during residency byprecluding the government from charging them interest on their loans during a time when
they are unable to afford payments on the principal. The REDI Act does not provide any
loan forgiveness or reduce a borrower’s original loan balance.

OMSs are surgically and medically trained dental specialists who treat conditions, defects,
injuries and esthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws, neck and face. After earning a dentaldegree from an accredited four-year dental school, OMSs complete a minimum of fouryears of hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery residency training that includes
rotations in such areas as general surgery, anesthesia, and clinical research. Nearly 40
percent also earn a medical degree or complete a fellowship training program, whichfurther adds to their debt.

Providing student loan relief also is a workforce issue. The elimination of subsidized
graduate loans and higher student loan interest rates have resulted in a significant increasein student loan debt for OMSs over the last decade, making it challenging for them toconsider serving in underserved areas or in faculty or research positions. A 2017 survey ofOMSs, who were current residents or recent graduates at the time, revealed more than 51percent had over $350,000 in student debt; 43 percent had a monthly loan payment over$3,000; 59 percent said their debt would impact the type of practice they would enter; and62 percent reported their debt would determine the geographical location of theirpractice. 1

Finally, passage of the REDI Act could have a real impact on patient care. By saving medicaland dental residents thousands of dollars in interest on their student loans, the concepts ofpracticing in underserved areas or entering faculty or research become more attractive andaffordable to them.
Again, thank you for your leadership on this important issue impacting healthcare
professionals. AAOMS welcomes the opportunity to work with you and your colleagues toadvance this important legislation. Please contact Jeanne Tuerk, AAOMS Director ofGovernment Affairs, at 800-822-6637, ext. 4321, or jtuerk@aaoms.org.
Sincerely,Paul J. Schwartz, DMD
AAOMS President

1 Bruno, E, Zastrow, S, Covello, P, Hammer, D. The Resident Organization of the American Association of Oral andMaxillofacial Surgeons Debt Task Force Perspective on Educational Debt and the Impact on the Specialty of Oral andMaxillofacial Surgery. JOMS. 2019; 77:235-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2018.09.018