The chiropractic industry counted a win after it successfully lobbied for inclusion in a federal student loan program for those studying health-related professions. Decades later, though, significant numbers of chiropractors have defaulted on their loans, leaving Uncle Sam to make up the difference.

Fifty-three percent of healthcare providers barred from receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from patients because they defaulted on Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL) are chiropractors, according to an analysis of the Department of Health and Human Services' exclusion list.

The data shows people well into middle age--even in their 60s--saddled with debt, sometimes as much as ...