By Michael Jerez

As future Doctors of Chiropractic, we all know how tough school can be with all of our exams, ICE boards and National Boards to study for. But we also know how expensive achieving our goal can be. Medical doctors (MDs) have programs that can help them off set the cost of their education or eliminate them completely. One way is by, joining the military and have them cover the cost and in return, you pay it back with service to your country.

Another program available is a loan repayment program, which has been available for MDs for quite some time if they work at low-income neighborhoods. H.R. 2891: Access to Frontline Health Care Act of 2009, if passed into law, would allow chiropractors who practice in underserved, low income areas, be eligible for student loan repayment. Physical Therapists have also been identified as being eligible to receive the same benefits as Chiropractors as long as we agree to practice in such areas for a minimum of two years.

This is not only great news for current and future Chiropractic students, but it’s also a good news to the millions of Americans that either can’t afford quality health care or they have to wait to receive their care because of the shortage of providers. With this law, it will put us in the forefront of the fight, shining a bright light on how important we as Chiropractors are in providing quality health The Legislation was introduced by Reps. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio), with currently about 27 co-sponsors, and has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on June 16, 2009. If you would like to get involved and help this bill become law, log on to www.acatoday.org, for more information on how you can “Take Action” by learning more about the bill and contacting your House Representative.