Coffee Break: A Pre-AA Legislative Update (7/2026)

Adrienne: Welcome, welcome to Pre-AA Pathways Coffee Break episode number two. Tiffany is busy this week so ⁓ Yeah, I'm here today there has been a lot happening in the legislative sphere that really impacts pre-anesthesiologist assistant students. So as a pre-AA myself, I just wanted to talk about it, and share the facts that I've learned. As today, July second, twenty six. Hopefully we'll get this out as soon as possible. there's an active fight over which programs, anesthesiologist assistant programs included, count ⁓ as professional degree on paper. So thanks for me. Grab a cup, pull up a chair, ⁓ and we'll talk about it. Here's a really quick disclaimer, I am a pre-AA applicant in the 2026 CASAA cycle. I am not a CAA This is not financial aid advice or professional advice. All of the things that I will be sharing come from the federal pages and guidance and Department of Education current as of July 2nd, 2026. It's actively litigated and moving, so verify everything you hear that is specific to your situation at studentaid.gov. pre-AA Pathways is not affiliated with CASAA, the AAA A, any AA program, or the CAAHEP. So let's start with a really quick summary some of the key dates and important things that matter. Because you may not have heard of these dates. starting off with May first of twenty twenty six, the Department of Education published The Rise Final Rule. ⁓ And That's reimagining and improving student education. It narrowed which programs counted as professional for loan purposes, and it narrowed it to 11 fields only. And anesthesiologist assistants weren't part of that 11. On June 24, 2026, a federal court in Washington, DC issued a nationwide stay that blocked that narrower definition. And that is because Congress had already written a broader one into the statute itself. So in plain terms, a stay is a court-ordered pause, and it just temporarily, suspends enforcement of a law, a regulation, any other government while a ⁓ case is still being decided. This isn't me interpreting the law. It's basically just what the judge's own ruling says. It's the federal agencies rule that it has to fit inside what Congress has actually already authorized. And when it doesn't, a court can block it. And it can be blocked even nationwide. So that's kind of what's happening now. before that law really went into effect. ⁓ So on June 29th, and I'm going to share this on screen so you guys can see it if you're watching the YouTube video. the department responded with an updated interim professional ⁓ list. So those 11 fields became 29. And you can see those on my screen. ⁓ I've highlighted, you know, the anesthesiologist assistant field ⁓ on it. It's listed as CIP 51.0809. I'm gonna zoom in just a little bit more. Side notes of speech pathology. Hallelujah. ⁓ The next date that I want to talk about is actually today, though I haven't seen any updates yet. I'm sure we will hear maybe more about it. but today, July 2nd, 2026, both sides are actually owed the court a status report on what happens next. So I'm recording this without knowing what it says, but by the time you're watching this, you may already know a little bit more than I do now. That's just the nature of covering something that's this fluid. Either way, that report isn't necessarily a resolution. It's just a checkpoint. The stay itself just doesn't a scheduled end. ⁓ the department believes that its narrower rule is still lawful they intend on keep they intend ⁓ yeah. The department still believes that its narrower rule is lawful and they intend to keep defending it. So the list could change again. I don't know that it will. I also don't know that it won't. that's just generally where this stands as of this recording on July second, twenty twenty-six. So that's just the fight itself. Now I want to talk a little bit about what it's actually worth in dollars because that's probably what most Pre-AAs are worried about. ⁓ first thing I'm gonna share is the student federal student aid on their website, you can find the loan limits table and it will share and you can see ⁓ the maximum loan limits and how it was different between you know before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and after. So while anesthesiologist assistant programs do sit on that list, on that interim list, this is what the published numbers are saying. So if you're a professional tier borrower, meaning above a graduate level, even though you are still a graduate student, yes, I know the verbiage can be confusing. but a professional tier borrower can take up to $50,000 a year or $200,000 aggregate for graduate and professional study combined. A graduate tier Is $20,500 a year with a $100,000 total or aggregate. And right now, anesthesiologist assistant programs are on the higher side of that gap. I do also want to share that grad plus loans, no matter where you land as a graduate or a professional, they are completely gone. As of yesterday, July 1st, 2026. They're not capped. That used the Grad Plus loans used to cover the gap that was left between taking out those federal loans and any other owed tuition, etc. Now, even at our a higher tier, you know, fifty thousand dollars a year is the ceiling. So to make that a little bit more concrete, I'm not just saying this as like any specific program's cost. This is just an example to scale, but if your program runs seventy thousand dollars per year, that's still a twenty thousand dollar gap between what federal loans will cover and what you'd actually owe, with nothing built in anymore to close that gap. So as a loan borrower, you know, using savings, getting a private loan, finding something that's now on you to figure out, ⁓ and it's not the loan program. Obviously you can talk to your financial aid offices and I highly, highly encourage you to do so whenever you get into programs and you know are trying to figure out how to pay for ⁓ anesthesiologist assistant school. Sign, you know, a little bit of a silver lining, I guess. Grad plus loans did involve a credit check. And so if you didn't have much of a credit history, that could have, you know, worked against you. And you know, with private loans, that may or may not be the same. But now that grad plus loans are totally gone for a borrower, is that just barrier to entry may disappear a little? But also, so does the loan itself. So What replaces it as the real dividing line isn't that credit history anymore, but it's whether or not you have a way to actually close that gap. So if you have savings, and let's be honest, who has savings when they're 18 years old? I mean, maybe some people do. Proud of you if that's the case, but ⁓ the dividing line isn't that credit history. The dividing line is whether or not you have another way to close that gap. So whether or not you have savings, whether or not you have a cosigner, whether or not you have family support or ⁓ financial, you know, what your socioeconomic status is growing up. and it also matters too if you've carried loans from undergrad or from an earlier degree like myself, there's a new lifetime cap now. the new lifetime cap is $257,000. But here's what's true: no matter how the classification fight ends, grad plus loans are gone for new borrowers. For grad plus loans are completely gone. for new borrowers starting July first, twenty twenty-six, as of yesterday, they are not capped, they are gone. So that used to cover whatever gap was left after your other loans. Now, even at the higher tier of $50,000 per year, that is the ceiling. So just to make that a little more concrete and a little less abstract, I'm not stating that this is any specific program's actual cost, but just as an example to scale, if a year of program tuition is $70,000, that's $20,000 more between what federal loans will cover and what you'd actually owe. And there's nothing built in to cover that gap to close it. you have to depend on savings, on private loans, on something else that will help you cover that cost. And so there's another layer to this. You know, Grad Plus loans did require a credit check. So if you didn't have credit, that could be harder to acquire. ⁓ so that barrier is gone technically, but the dividing line doesn't become that credit history anymore. It becomes whether or not you have another way to close that financial gap, whether or not you have the savings, whether or not you have a co-signer, whether or not you have family support. And that can look very, very different depending on your background, your situation, and where you're coming from. And it also depends too on if you've carried loans from undergrad or from another degree. So there's actually a lifetime cap now. So the lifetime cap as listed on the federal student loan websites. studentaid.gov is $257,500. And that did not exist before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And so it counts absolutely everything you've already borrowed federally against what is left. So undergraduate subsidized, unsubsidized, graduate subsidized, or unsubsidized. ⁓ if you have a history of student loan borrowing. I highly encourage you to look up the National Student Loan Data System. You can find your maximum limits of what you've already borrowed and you can see what that number of is of how much you have left per se. Assuming you know you get in a program and you need to find ways to pay for it. ⁓ But if that's you, that's just worth knowing about ahead of time. So take that with a great salt. So think about that. ⁓ And if you're talking to a program's financial aid office this summer, maybe you're a student AA, you know, my good friend Victoria, shout out to you. ⁓ you know, ask your student financial aid program what tier your program is covered under. Maybe they don't know yet, but maybe they do. Is it a graduate tier or is it the professional degree tier? and then one more thing: there's a separate Interim exception for students who were already enrolled and but already borrowing before July 1st, 2026. If that's not you yet, that's not your problem right now. Full details are in the show notes for when it is. ⁓ let me jump here. ⁓ counts everything already borrowed against what's left. If that's you, that's just worth knowing ahead of time, just now, not after. Okay, so that covers the money. Here's the part that I actually want to spend a little bit more time on. So the jump between 11 fields to 29 didn't happen on its own. People actually engaged in comment periods, maybe in courtrooms, ⁓ somewhere within that 29 is us. We are included because we are future people in this profession. And Remember that whoever writes the definition controls what gets funded and what actually gets recognized. So that fight doesn't wait for an acceptance letter. It's already here. It's already running. And here's what I actually want you to think about. Not just to know about the situation, but you as a preAA can actually, you as a pre-AA can actually right now already take part in this legislative action. There are three things that are all real that are available to you as a pre-AA and things that you can do before you're admitted anywhere to support yourself, your future, and the profession. The first thing you want to do is read the primary source. Maybe you're listening to this and you're hearing about these dates and you're like, ⁓ okay, but it's still me telling you. No, please go to the Department of Education announcement. Read the student gov or read. I don't want you to read someone's summary of the summary. I don't want you to AI it. Like, go to the actual Department of Education announcement and read it. Go to the actual studentaid.gov website page. There are links in our show notes that will take you directly there. It is the difference between knowing the actual number is fifty thousand dollars and knowing your own situation and how it applies, and you know, repeating whatever got rounded off ⁓ in social media spheres before it reached you. be educated and educate yourself. It is not a hard read. It is short. but yeah. Read it yourself and make your own decisions. Number two, contact your representatives and senators. If you are a US citizen, and I know not all pre-AAs are, but if you're a US citizen and you're registered to vote or old enough to vote, you are a constituent. That means you live somewhere with a representative and two senators whose job it is to include representing you specifically. And it regardless of your admission status, regardless of your career or your degree, you can contact their offices directly and say plainly that you support keeping fields like this on the professional degree list and why it matters to you. congr congressional and why it matters to you. Congressional offices track how many constituents reach out among an issue. And that volume is part of how they gauge what matters to the people that they actually represent. So congratulations, you can do that. If you're not sure what exactly that sounds like, I have a link to my advocacy page that shows examples of what the letters as a pre-AA could actually look like. It's in the show notes below. It's worded so you can send these letters as is, or you can edit them into your own words. You don't need a title or a finished degree to send it. You just need a few minutes and your representative's contact page, which you can also find through my website, which once again will be linked in the show notes. Third thing you can do is follow and support the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants Advocacy Work. So all professional organizations run action alerts and comment campaigns, specifically so people who aren't in the legislative rooms can still be heard. In practice, that often looks like an email or a post with a pre-written message and a direct way to send it to a representative's office. So you can once again send it as is or edit it. As a pre-AA, if you go on those pages, do not say you're a CAA or an SAA. No, no, no, no, no. but just know that in the future that will be available to you as a professional organization that will represent your future profession. So not necessarily now, but someday, and that's why I wrote up my pre-AA versions on my website. Because we gotta we gotta band together, right? so I'll keep running a a set of ready-made letters for issues that affect the field. At my SLP to C A C A. I currently have a couple ready-made letters for issues that affect the anesthesiologist assistant profession at slp to ca.com slash take-action. And yeah, so you can look up there as examples and find your representatives. So use it. And I'll be honest, this first one is what I've already done. Go to the Department of Education website. Read the actual statements. Go to studentaid.gov and read the actual definitions and loan limits and discover what works for you or me. pull that actual text before you trust the other people's summaries of it. ⁓ And remember that none of this guarantees a specific ⁓ And I want to be really clear about that. It's the difference between a definition getting written about your field and a definition getting written with input of people in the field that it really matters. And once you're a student AA, that doesn't change. It just gets maybe more direct because you're actually part of that workforce data that the arguments for anesthesiologist assistant cite. And obviously, once you're a CAA, you're the one with formal standing to comment during rulemaking and to be a voice in litigation like this one. But none of that starts at your graduation with your MSA with your AA degree. It starts with the three things that I just said and you can do all three of those things this week. So really quick recap before I let you go. Sorry this coffee break is a tad long. I'm totally out. I don't know about you. But quick summary as of July 2nd, 2026, Anesthesiologist assistant profession and degree are on the interim professional list. The higher loan tier of $50,000 a year and $200,000 as an aggregate limit for graduate professional study counts. That's separate from the $257,500 lifetime maximum student loan, federal loan dismursement that I mentioned earlier, which also counts that undergraduate loan Borrowing as well. Anesthesiologist assistant professional status depends on a court stay with no specific scheduled end. And the next checkpoint is today, July 2nd, 2026, with a status report that has not been published yet, as far as I could find. The grad plus loan is gone for new borrowers, regardless of any of that. And the list changed because people engage with the process, which means you can too. And this list changed from eleven professions to twenty-nine because people engaged with the process. And this means that you can too. So pick one of those three things this week. Number one, you can read those source documents. Number two, you can contact your representatives and senators. Or number three and number three. And number three, you can follow the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants advocacy updates. Do those things this week, or one of those things this week, and you'll ⁓ be in a better position for your future. Thanks for joining me. Okay.