After an epic weekend in Washington, the House of Representatives passed the long-awaited and much-debated health care bill, instantly inviting cheers of celebration and predictions for its future implications. But did you know that health care reform wasn't the only major legislation passed Sunday? The 219 representatives who voted in favor of overhauling the nation's health system didn't just establish a completely reformed health care system but also altered the way federal student loans work.

According to The Answer Sheet, a blog on the Washington Post, the health care bill "would end an expensive program by which the federal government paid banks and other private lenders to provide federally backed loans to students who chose this route. In this program, if students defaulted on their loans, the banks got paid by the government anyway." In essence, banks will no longer act as intermediaries between the federal government and students, and the Education Department now has more than $60 billion left over to give to needy students that would have otherwise gone toward subsidiaries for private lenders.

Reason to rejoice? I think so. The money transfers directly into Pell Grants for low- and moderate-income families, allowing a greater number of students to get a college education. "We are choosing to spend scarce education resources on students and families, and not on subsidies to big banks," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), quoted in a March 18 article in the Washington Post.

This addendum to the health care bill has the potential to affect many students who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to pursue higher education. $60 billion will fund a lot of grants-and in time for the 2011 to 2012 school year, too, when the economic stimulus money will disappear. And as college enrollment continues to increase, even more students will be eligible for Pell Grants; according to Higher Ed Watch, "Congress needs to come up with at least a $30 billion appropriation this year if lawmakers want to maintain a $5,500 maximum Pell Grant for the 2011-12 school year. That's more than double the $14 billion that went to the program just two years ago." And this bill does exactly that: The new funds contribute directly to the Pell Grants without Congress needing to spend any new money or add to the deficit-and in this economy, I think we can all recognize the magnitude of this accomplishment.

So why doesn't it have a place in the spotlight along with the health care bill? Granted, the overhaul of the health care system will undoubtedly affect millions more people than student loans; of course, Pell Grants apply to only one, highly specialized population.

But it seems strange that the Facebook statuses, the Twitter feeds and the endless conversation that transpired on this campus soon after the news broke, for the most part, did not even mention the most crucial development in the federal student loan system in four decades. This legislation represents a major step for higher education in the United States and certainly deserves a place in campus discourse across the country.

The health care conversation is relevant to us at Brandeis in particular. As we students are well aware, the University requires us to have health insurance, either Brandeis insurance or that of our parents and guardians. But as members of an institution with social justice at the core of its mission, let's take the first steps toward raising awareness about the twofold nature of Sunday's momentous accomplishment in Congress.

In addition to the widespread national excitement that arrives with revamped health care policy, we students should initiate the discussion about the secondary aspect of the bill that has been swept unnecessarily under the rug. Let's get our peers enthusiastic about newly expanded access to higher education. Consistent with the traditional Brandeis value of social justice, this bill takes an excellent measure forward by offering newly represented communities from across the country access to colleges.