Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025, introduced in the Senate by Senators Sanders and Merkley, would create new grant programs to help health professional students pay tuition and fees, and it would also establish a separate program to increase enrollment in health professions schools. Specifically, the bill adds three grant tracks—MED Grants for medical students, DENTAL Grants for dental students, and NURSE Grants for nursing students—under the Higher Education Act. Recipients must agree to a service obligation (primarily serving as a physician, in rural or underserved settings, or in primary care) for a defined period, with the grant potentially converting into a loan if the service obligation is not met. The bill also directs a new set of grants under the Public Health Service Act to increase enrollment in medical, osteopathic, nursing, and related schools, with explicit enrollment targets and priority for underrepresented or rural populations. The overall aim is to expand the healthcare workforce, particularly in primary care and rural areas, while shaping how student aid is awarded and repaid. Key elements include: (1) new MED, DENTAL, and NURSE grants to cover tuition/fees for eligible students; (2) binding service obligations tied to each grant, including a mechanism to convert unfulfilled service into loans with caps on repayment; (3) a reconsideration process and potential extension of service time if grants are reinstated; (4) a funding and administration framework starting July 1, 2026, with cost-of-attendance caps and prepayment/direct payment options; and (5) a parallel program to increase enrollment at health professions schools, with measurable enrollment growth goals and use-of-funds provisions focused on diversity, rural and underserved access, and capacity-building.
Key Points
- 1Establishes MED Grants, DENTAL Grants, and NURSE Grants to pay tuition and required fees for eligible medical, dental, and nursing students, respectively, under Subparts 11-13 of the Higher Education Act.
- 2Service obligations: grant recipients must practice primary care (for MED) or rural/underserved care (for DENTAL and NURSE, with defined geographic/ practice requirements) for a set period within a 15-year window after completing training; must submit annual employment certifications.
- 3If a recipient fails to fulfill the service obligation, the grant portion is converted into a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan with interest, repayment terms, and caps on the amount that can be converted ($50,000 maximum total, with tiered repayment caps based on years of service).
- 4Reconsideration and reinstatement: recipients can request reconsideration of conversion decisions; if reinstated, the service obligation window can be extended and years of service prior to reconversion may count toward the obligation.
- 5Administration and funding: beginning July 1, 2026, funds are available to carry out these subparts, with at least 85% prepayment to institutions (or option for direct payments to candidates); cost of attendance caps apply; period of eligibility capped (not to exceed 8 years) for each student.
- 6Increasing enrollment grants (Subpart 4): a new grant program to increase enrollment at schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, and nursing, with specified enrollment growth targets (e.g., 50% increases for medical/osteopathic schools by year 2 and year 4; 30% increases for nursing by year 2 and year 4).
- 7Use of funds to support enrollment growth includes: enhancing student recruitment and retention, mentoring, faculty recruitment and loan repayment, partnerships for clinical education, infrastructure modernization, and curricular/educational program development; emphasis on underserved and underrepresented groups.