It is possible to enter into consolidation or rehabilitation to cure a default. Then a payment plan can be set up based upon your income. If the matter has been referred to the Department of Justice, and a judgment has already been entered, then a Repayment Agreement is possible to avoid such an outcome.
In Florida, a default on federal HEAL loans may also cause the suspension of the practitioner’s license. Kinda hard to repay that student loan while unemployed. If you own your own practice, can you imagine the harm if your entire practice was shut down without warning?
It’s much cheaper to avoid default altogether, or fix it before these kinds of bad things happen.