ADA supports two student loan reform bills e-mailPrintShare ADA supports two student loan reform bills Bills call for lowering federal student loan interest rates, allow new dentists to refinance federal student loans more than once April 13, 2021 By Jennifer Garvin Washington — The ADA is supporting two student loan reform bills to help offset the financial challenges facing dentists after they graduate. HR 1918, the Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act, would shift federal student loan interest rates downward, delay interest accrual and allow loan payments to be deferred until after the completion of a medical or dental residency. “Graduate student debt has been rising for decades, even after adjusting for inflation. It has risen to the point that today new dentists with debt are starting their careers owing nearly $305,000 in educational debt,” wrote ADA President Daniel J. Klemmedson, D.D.S., M.D., and Executive Director Kathleen T. O’Loughlin, D.M.D., in an April 13 letter thanking Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fla., for introducing HR 1918.