Why does it bother you when someone participates in programs that they legally qualify for?

The government set the system. There’s no reason not to participate if you genuinely qualify.

https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service/questions

No. The amount forgiven on PSLF is not taxed. Get your facts straight.

Many private practice physicians salaries are MUCH higher than OPs and move into the $300k range and above. I don’t think $260k a year is odd at all if she’s in dermatology or some other subspecialty field depending on the practice setting and how much clinical medicine she practices. I work in primary care in a HCOL city at an academic non-profit and make $210k my first year in practice. There are also a lot of other variables at play in physician salaries and the physician job market does not track other markets well in my experience. You can earn much more as a physician in rural areas than saturated, urban areas. In certain cities, what on face value look to be high paying specialties, are not because of an over supply of physicians. Where I live, psychiatry, derm, primary care and family medicine are in demand and it’s a buyers market. If you want to do academic cardiology, good luck starting at $200k.