Senate Moves Closer to Approving Loan Forgiveness for Pharmacists
3/26/2008
A Senate committee is pushing to include pharmacists in the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) to be eligible to participate in loan forgiveness programs.
Although pharmacists are not explicitly named in the legislation to reauthorize the NHSC (S. 901), the committee report of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee specifically references the committee’s intent to include pharmacists. Committee reports describe the purpose and scope of legislation and are often used by courts and the public to determine legislative intent. Therefore, given the report language, pharmacists seeking to participate in a loan forgiveness program under NHSC will, in all likelihood, be able to do so.
ASHP has been actively supporting pharmacist inclusion into the NHSC to add incentives for practitioners to work in small and rural hospitals. The Society is supporting passage of this legislation and a similar bill being considered by the House of Representatives and will continue to encourage Congress to appropriate necessary funds so that pharmacists can take part in this valuable program.
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