Student debt is keeping doctors from rural areas

By Cassidy Morrison

Published June 21, 2019 3:00am ET

Student debt is keeping doctors from rural areas — U.S. deterrence policy has generated plenty of criticism from Capitol Hill. But that has been aimed at the administration's supposedly narrow view of what constitutes an attack and unwillingness to spell out likely responses. | kaptnali

Burdensome student loan debt is discouraging aspiring doctors from setting up their own practices, exacerbating the decline of primary care doctors in rural and impoverished communities.

Student debt hit a record high of $1.4 trillion in 2019, forcing many indebted young people to factor paying student loan bills into choosing a career path. Young doctors are no exception.