February 14, 2002
The Honorable George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Pataki:
I am writing to you on behalf of the American Medical Association Medical Student Section, the largest medical student organization with over 49,000 members from across the country. As the Chair of this organization, I must join my colleagues in medical school in the State University of New York (SUNY) medical schools to protest the recent series of tuition increases at their programs. This tuition increase, and the threat of future increases, may ultimately lead to severe repercussions in the balance of health care availability in New York.
As you are aware, the SUNY medical schools recently established a mid-year tuition increase of $2000, which was also applied retroactively to cover the first semester of the current academic year. "Similar increases" are anticipated in the future. While it is understood that tuition increases are sometimes a necessary part of a balanced budget, we have severe reservations about the nature and level of such proposed increases.
First year students in the SUNY system anticipated roughly $10,000 a year in tuition expenses upon matriculation. With the projected increases, these same students will have a yearly tuition bill approaching $18,000 (an 80% increase) during their final year of training. Over four years, their educational debt will increase by nearly 50% to over $60,000 in tuition alone. We believe that these excessive tuition increases could create a barrier to accessing medical education in the State of New York. My greatest fear is that this will then translate into a barrier to accessing medical care for the citizens of New York.
Any significant increase in the overall debt load will also negatively affect the specialty choice of future medical school graduates. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), almost 30% of medical school graduates state that their level of educational debt affects their choice of specialty. The AMA Council on Medical Education has commented that, "graduates from public schools, who have less average debt, are more likely to enter into primary care," and that "debt also appears to have a higher impact on the specialty choice of students from underrepresented minority groups." The tuition increases currently under consideration for the SUNY medical schools could result in fewer New York medical school graduates entering primary care medicine, creating a potential health care crisis for the citizens of New York.
In summary, on behalf of medical students from across the nation, I ask you to challenge the SUNY Board of Trustees to search for other mechanisms of funding that will avoid this negative impact on future physicians, and ultimately the citizens of New York. Thank you for your strong consideration regarding this very important issue.
Sincerely,
David Buck
Chair, AMA Medical Student Section
cc: Joseph Bruno
Sheldon Silver
Kenneth LaValle
Edward Sullivan
Content provided by: Medical Student Section