NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Student loan forgiveness is now a hot button issue dividing people along party lines. But long before the Biden administration began its push, a bi-partisan Congress passed the Public Service Loan Forgiveness plan in 2007. President George W. Bush signed it into law.
The goal of the program — to get people to commit to public service jobs like the military, education, and public health. The problem — the plan was rolled out horribly. So much so, a success story is hard to come by.
“I’m walking out of the hospital checking my email making sure I don’t have anything left to do and I saw that I had an email from the president of the United States of America!” Dr. Dontal Johnson remembers of an evening back in March that changed his life. “I open it up and the first thing is like, ‘Congratulations your loans have been forgiven.’”
With that, Dr. Johnson became one of a select few.
Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor at Meharry Medical College and a pediatrician at the Meharry Clinic. The doctors here have chosen public healthcare. They are part of a safety net for the city often caring for the underserved and uninsured.
“I always loved science, I always loved helping people,” remembers Johnson.
He always wanted to a doctor. And where he eventually chose to practice was intentional.
“I have the opportunity to not only teach those who look like me and inspire those who look like me to become a future physician, but we’re helping people that need help.”
But choosing public health comes at a cost for providers, as their paychecks are less than their counterparts in the for-profit sector. What does not come at a discounted rate is getting a medical degree.
Dr. Johnson graduated with $583,903.77 worth of student loans. He knows the figure down to the penny.
As the loans added up, Dr. Johnson did three things – studied, enlisted in the Army, and applied for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
“It’s a lot of paperwork so I think when I applied it was at least this thick worth of paperwork.”
And then he worked and waited.
The plan requires 10 years of public service and 10 years’ worth of loan payments. According to the United States Department of Education, as of June 2023, of the 6.1 million applicants to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, just 11% had been approved and their loans forgiven.
In the months since his loans were wiped away, Dr. Johnson says one thing has changed -- he's practicing medicine with a new sense of freedom. But where he practices -- will remain the same, no mandate needed.
“You get to help anybody who walks through the door day and night and you don’t have to have that fear of, ‘if I help this patient and do right by them, am I going to have to eat this cost later on?’ I didn’t want to practice medicine like that, where I can’t serve people who need my help just because they can’t afford to pay for it.”
Dr. Johnson, who is also Major Johnson in the Tennessee Army National Guard, continues to serve this country as well. In fact, he left on deployment following our interview.
He encourages his counterparts to remain diligent in seeking loan forgiveness, sharing his story as inspiration, not only of personal financial freedom, but also for how he believes the program’s promise can impact public healthcare.
“I think it would make a huge difference.”
As for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program — it's being revamped and moved under the Department of Education to hopefully streamline the process and provide the relief that has been promised to millions of Americans. You can learn more about it here.
As of March 15 of this year,the U.S. Department of Education reports15,800 borrowers from Tennessee have been approved for a total of $1.233B in forgiveness under PSLF. In Kentucky, 10,780 borrowers have been approved for a total of $691,600,000 in forgiveness under PSLF.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
