AUPHA Advocacy - Current Issues

Though it is rare, AUPHA engages in advocacy efforts that benefit healthcare management students, faculty, and the profession as a whole. These efforts often relate to issues that could affect the workforce pipeline and diminish the affordability and accessibility of higher education.

This page contains the current issues affecting healthcare management practice and healthcare management education. Another page dedicated to past issues is currently under construction.

CURRENT ISSUES

The issues currently listed on this page are as follows:

• Accountability: Financial Transparency and Gainful Employment (US ED)
• Student Loan Caps (US ED)
• H-1B Visas (DHS)

ACCOUNTABILITY: FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY AND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT

HR1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced new restrictions related to federal Pell grants and other types of federal student aid. The US Department of Education has formed the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-drive Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee to engage in rulemaking to determine a framework by which institutions could be evaluated for continued access to federal student aid funding.

The AHEAD Committee published its initial draft consensus language on December 12, 2025 and provided an updated version on January 9, 2026. All documents related to the committee's work can be found on the US Department of Education's Negotiated Rulemaking webpage. The draft language, which would take effect on July 1, 2026, provides a framework through which institutions would be evaluated for federal student aid funding. 

The public was provided the opportunity to offer comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking through April 8, 2026. 

The US Department of Education published its final rule in June 2026, which can be accessed here.

Stay Informed

Remain up-to-date on the work of the AHEAD Committee, which has additional proposed rulemaking yet to be released related to OBBBA. AUPHA will make efforts to keep this page current but individuals can always review the Department of Education's Negoitated Rulemaking page for the latest updates. 

AUPHA has carefully monitored the progress of the AHEAD Committee and consulted with the Federation of Associations of Schools of Health Professions (FASHP) regarding concerns the proposed rulemaking may pose for healthcare management.

For a summary of the proposed rulemaking and its implications, please review this article published by the American Council on Education.

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has several articles available on their website detailing the progress of the AHEAD Committee, as well as other committees currently working on rulemaking related to OBBBA.

STUDENT LOAN CAPS

HR1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduces new federal loan limits for graduate and professional studies. Part of the bill required the Department of Education (ED) to engage in rulemaking to determine which graduate degrees are classified as "professional" and are thus eligible for the higher capped amount.

September 2026

• Dan Gentry, AUPHA's President and CEO, along with other APWA members, attended sessions on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to consider the implications of the loan caps and take action. AUPHA staff created a pamphlet for legislators outlining the issue and how it could affect the healthcare management workforce in the future.

July 2026

• APWA published a resource that provides insight into several bills introduced in Congress that would provide better loan access for students in a range of fields, including healthcare management.

June 2026

• On June 25, 2026, a DC federal judge ruled to block implementation of federal loan caps under the adopted rules from the RISE Committee. The lawsuits introduced by Democracy Forward and AAPA/PAEA were combined in this ruling. Initial interpretations of the ruling suggest that only professions that clearly meet the three-part test (as listed below) in the original bill will see relief. Healthcare management has not been identified as meeting the three-part test, which reads:
  • A degree is "professional" if it:
    • Signifies completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession.
    • Signifies a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree.
    • Generally requires professional licensure.
• On June 4, 2026, a group of Senators introduced Senate Joint Resolution 196 under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal the final rule adopoted by the Department of Education (ED) capping federal student loans. To learn more about the resolution, please read this press release from Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). AUPHA publicly endorsed this resolution and encouraged members to contact their Senators and Representatives to advocate for it. The measure failed in a Senate vote on June 24, 2026.
• On June 3, 2026, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and the PA Education Association (PAEA) filed a separate suit against the Department of Education challenging the RISE definition of "professional" degrees.

May 2026

• Represented by Democracy Forward and Jacobson Lawyers Group PLLC, a coalition the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), National Education Association (NEA), Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) filed American Association of Nurse Practitioners, et al. v. Linda McMahon, et al., a lawsuit challenging the US Department of Education's new definition of "professional degrees." The complaint asks the court to block the July 1, 2026 implementation of the new rule.
• A group of 24 state attorneys general and the attorney general from Washington, DC filed a separate suit challenging the "professional degree" definition.
• Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) introduced H.J. Resolution 189 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to "Reimaging and Improved Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations" to the House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee.

April 2026

• APWA submitted written testimony to Congress requesting that the US Department of Education and the Department of Labor produce reports on the impact the student loan limits have on programs and professions not designated "professional." The testimony asks that these reports include impacts on institutional programs as well as workforce.

By March 2, 2026

• AUPHA submitted a public comment letter to the regulations.gov website. This letter was endorsed and approved by the Board's Executive Committee and went out under the signature of the President and Chief Executive Officer. 
• FASHP submitted a public comment letter to the regulations.gov website advocating for a standardized definition of "professional degrees."
• Under the new name of the Advanced Professional Workforce Alliance (APWA), the coalition submitted a public comment letter to the regulations.gov website. Around this time, APWA engaged Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, a Washington, DC-based Federal relations consulting and lobbying firm, to manage future advocacy efforts. AUPHA committed to becoming a member of APWA's Steering Committee.

January 30, 2026

• The RISE Committee published its proposed rules and provides a 30-day window for public comment.

September through November 2025

• The RISE Committee convened to discuss proposed rulemaking. Please visit the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) for a full breakdown of RISE actions during this time period.
• In October 2025, the Federation of Associations of Schools of Health Professions (FASHP) sent a letter to Federal Negotiator Tamy Abernathy advocating for the rulemaking committee to adopt Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code 51, "Health Professions and Related Programs," for the definition of "professional degrees."
• In October 2025, the APWA (formerly AHAWD) sent a letter to Federal Negotiator Tamy Abernathy advocating for a broad and consistent definition of "professional degrees."

August 2025

• AUPHA submitted a letter to the Honorable Linda McMahon, the current Secretary of the US Department of Education, encouraging the Department to recognize healthcare management as a professional degree field and implement changes that reflect the varied pathways to serving the health of our nation.

• AUPHA also sent a letter to all AUPHA member, partners, sponsors, and everyone in its database regarding the rulemaking now in progress for OBBBA; and specifically the major changes ahead for financial aid policy, and for graduate students in particular. The letter was endorsed and approved by the Board’s Executive Committee but went out under the signature of the President and Chief Executive Officer, due to the current environment of specific universities being singled out by the Executive Branch and Congress. 

• AUPHA joined the then named Alliance for Healthcare Access & Workforce Development (AHAWD), a coalition of over fifty health professions education and health professions practice associations (including seventeen of the nineteen FASHP organizations), to advocate for the inclusion of all graduate degrees across the health profession to be classified as “professional” graduate degrees vs only “graduate degrees” for OBBBA. AHAWD later renamed itself the Advanced Professional Workforce Alliance (APWA). The coalition sent a letter to Deputy Undersecretary James Bergeron providing advice and guidance to the RISE Committee as they began their work.

July 2025

• The Reimaging and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee is formed to create negotiated rulemaking regarding the student loan caps mandated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA).

The US Department of Education’s (ED) Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee advanced a proposed definition of “professional degree programs” under OBBBA that excludes health administration degrees like the MHA, MHSA, MBA, MPH, MPA, and others, as well as most other health professions programs. This change could restrict access to federal loan support for most health professions and weaken the pipeline of healthcare management practitioners to our communities.  

The Association of University Programs in Health Administration is leading national advocacy to ensure that healthcare administration degrees remain recognized and supported as "professional." This advocacy includes individual efforts, as well as joint efforts as a Full and Founding Member of the Federation of Associations of Schools of Health Professions (FASHP) and as a member of the Steering Committee of the Advanced Workforce Professional Alliance (APWA).

These FAQs outline the proposal and its potential impact on student aid and the field of healthcare management.

H-1B VISAS

Since their inception in 1990, H-1B visas have provided an avenue through which the United States could fill critical shortage areas with skilled international workers. The number of H-1B visas provided was capped by Congress with an additional 20,000 visas reserved for international students who graduate from a US institution with a master's or doctoral degree. A full history of the program, including data from recent years, is available on the American Immigration Council website.

In 2025, the Trump administration announced several changes to the H-1B visa rules, including raising the typical $2,000-$4,000 in fees to a proposed $100,000 cost to employers to apply. In 2025, the Council on Foreign Relations published a deep dive into the changes and their potential effect on the economy. Since that time, the administration has published additional rules, including one that raises the minimum wage employers must pay an H-1B visa worker.

August 2026

• The Department of Homeland Security submitted a proposed rule eliminating the 60 day grace period for H-1B visa holders.

July 2026

• The appeal was denied by the First Circuit. For more information, visit US Citizenship and Immigration Services H-1B Specialty Occupations page.

June 2026

• The US District Court for Massachusetts vacated the implementation of the $100,000 fee. The Department of Homeland Security filed an appeal of this decision, which administratively stayed the court order.

December 2026

• The district court involved in the US Chamber of Commerce lawsuit upheld the $100,000 fee by denying summary judgement and granting the government's opposing cross-motion. The Chamber filed an appeal shortly thereafter.

October 2025

• Several organizations submitted comment letters regarding the proposed rules. These include the Institute for Progress requesting edits to the new wage levels.
• The US Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit challenging the new fee. The Association of American Universities later joined as an additional plaintiff.
• Attorneys General from twenty states also filed a lawsuit challenging the fee, which was slated for Massachusetts District Court.

September 2025

• The White House issued a proclamation instituting a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.

Spring 2025

• The Department of Homeland Security published its regulatory agenda, including proposed changes to the H-1B visa program.

Colleges and universities across the country have expressed concern regarding the new H-1B visa rules. The American Council on Education sent a comment letter in October 2025 requesting that such institutions be exempted from the new fee.

• Clemens, M., Neufeld, J., & Nice, A. (2025) Brain Freeze: How International Student Exclusion Will Shape the STEM Workforce and Economic Growth in the United States. Accessed 8/24/2026.
• Institute for Progress' analysis of wage level revisions
• Joint survey by Institute for Progress and NAFSA on student responses to H-1B visa changes
• President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
• US Chamber of Commerce lawsuit updates