Personally, in favor of it. I went to acupuncture school. They made it seem like we will easily make 6 figures. I know very, very few of my colleagues making this a few years into this profession, some have quit completely. School cost $160k all said and done (housing costs went up a ton where I was living over the 12 semesters of graduate level study - I did this in 4 years). There are almost no scholarships for acupuncture school (I did get one, that was $1k). I went to a just under mid priced school. I applied for thousands of jobs in the time I lived in that city, the only ones I got were minimum wage, and I couldn't work full-time.
I am hustling my butt off at personal risk and due to that, am taking jobs others wouldn't due to feeling unsafe. I am happy to do this so far, providing care is important to me, and I work at a combo of affordable clinics and inner city clinics where it's pretty much unheard of to have an acupuncturist (accident/injury type ones, they aren't paying out of pocket). I am now enroute to make $50k this year at least if not more (hard to say, some stuff is compensation based and shut downs have started here again). This is a massive income jump for me compared to the last few years.
I also used to be a musician full-time. I went to school on full scholarship, but I don't think people should be blamed for a hard sell (I know A LOT of people who went to the expensive conservatories, and DID end up with jobs). People I knew were hustling how they could, and paying their bills, not dipping out. So few people are working right now. I'm so grateful I play an instrument it's possible to play outside all year long. An entire industry is shut down. There are plenty of other fields that have been shut down. $50k to be honest is a drop in the bucket for a lot of these educated folks that have a lot to add to our culture. How come big biz can get it but not other fields like medicine (especially the lower paying fields), arts, music, education?
I also don't understand this idea of students are using their loans for iphones/expensive eating out and stuff. This was not what I observed in school except in acupuncture school for those students who were paying out of pocket/had a lot of cash from previous careers. If anything people were living on nothing in order to save up for: 1. Music school: audition fees/travel expenses, instruments, music, other supplies) 2. Acupuncture school: board exam fees, licensing fees/certifications, clinic start up supplies.
I will admit full disclosure- I lived VERY frugally during acupuncture school, saved my work-study money and side music gig money to the tune of $9k, travelled for a year in between. But I did some volunteering programs in acupuncture during that time, as well as some long hikes, lost 35lbs, got in physical/mental shape I was ready to really treat people. When I moved back to civilization I was immediately offered work due to having some experience. Very few "jobs" in acupuncture (tho this is changing!)- and almost all want experience, but how do you get it? Have to start your own clinic, get lucky with knowing someone, or do something like what I did.
I also would be happy to support some program where the forgiveness is not taxable or minimally taxable at the end, or to expand PSLF to other medical fields like mine that are not currently included. also to give partial forgiveness if there is not full-time work available (in my fields it's not, I know that's an issue with a lot of my peers, yes, even teachers in public schools. Arts/music is quite often not full-time and no/few benefits).