California Doesn’t Have Enough Doctors. To Recruit Them, the State Is Paying off Medical School Debt

Reporting from Sacramento — Bryan Ruiz’s hands were still shaking an hour after he learned the $300,000 in medical school loans he took out to become a dentist were being wiped away by California taxpayers.

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A year out of medical school, Ruiz thought it would take decades to pay off the debt, particularly since he had accepted a less lucrative position at a community health clinic that primarily serves low-income Medi-Cal patients.
“This really is life-changing,” he said.