Published June 19, 2019 
Have Student Loans? We Need to Hear from You!
As Congress continues to consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), AACN needs your help to ensure that future higher education policies are sustainable, inclusive, and innovative. Specifically, we must preserve federal student loan programs, such as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program and the Graduate PLUS Loan, and ensure the inclusion of all nursing students, particularly master’s and doctoral students, when considering aggregate borrowing limits.
To be effective advocates for protecting student loan programs, we need to hear from you! Please complete our brief Federal Student Loan Survey to help AACN understand your experience with federal student loans and/or grants.
AACN Attends Launch of BPC's Rural Health Task Force
On June 12, AACN staff attended the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Rural Health Task Force Kick-off Event. Task Force Co-Chair and former Senator Tom Daschle and Chief of Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services Peter Urbanowicz joined with other Members of Congress and panelists to discuss the challenges of rural health and the results from the BPC and American Heart Association’s Rural Health Care Survey. This survey highlights issues that impact rural America, from access to healthcare services and telemedicine technology to the importance of expanding health care in these communities. The Rural Health Task Force is charged with examining policies to improve payment models, strengthen the rural workforce, and expand telemedicine. Watch the kick-off event and read more on BPC’s previous report on rural health.
MedPAC Releases Report on Medicare and the Healthcare Delivery System
On June 14, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its June 2019 Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that provides Congress with policy analysis and advice on the Medicare program. This report examines issues affecting the Medicare payment system, including clinician payment, beneficiaries’ access to primary care, and prescribing and monitoring of opioids. Read MedPAC’s full report and fact sheet.
