Lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Wipe Out Medical Debt

[[{“value”:”Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I- VT ) and Rep. Ro Khanna ( D- CA ) have introduced legislation that aims to eliminate medical debt for Americans.
The bill’s goals are to “eliminate all$ 220 billion in health debt held by millions of Americans, wipe it from credit reports, and significantly reduce the accrual of potential health debt.”
The Consumer Credit Reporting Act would be amended to make it easier for credit agencies to report paid medical bills, reducing the chance that quite debt would damage patients ‘ credit histories.
Read more: https ://t.co/SXe0fs Qnfx
— unusual_whales ( @unusual_whales ) May 8, 2024
” In recent years, the medical debt crisis has exploded, decimating Americans ‘ bank accounts and dissuading them from seeking medical care,” the statement reads. An estimated 27 percent of adults in the United States currently have medical debts of more than$ 500, and 15 percent have medical debts of$ 2, 000 or more, according to Sanders ‘ office in a press release.
The richest nation in world history, United States of America, is proclaimed as such. According to Sanders, “people in our country should not go bankrupt because they have cancer and cannot afford to pay their health bills.”
No one in America should be in financial ruin because an unforeseen medical emergency or hospital stay would be outrageously expensive. The time has come to cancel all medical debt and guarantee health care to all as a human right, hardly a privilege”, he added.
Bill to end all medical debt is introduced by Bernie Sanders. https: //t. co/kISCbhLOso
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres ) May 8, 2024
Per The Guardian:
Khanna claimed in an interview with the Guardian that he had spoken with several Americans who were financially impacted by this issue. One woman who met Khanna shared a story about their mother becoming hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after having a stroke, while another woman showed him many hundred pages of medical bills she had received.
In the US, some disadvantaged communities appear to bear the brunt of health debt disproportionately. According to the KFF analysis, those without disabilities were more than half as likely to have skilled debt. While 13 % of Black Americans reported having unpaid medical bills, 7 % of white adults and 8 % of Hispanic adults said they had it. A separate study found that 3 % of cancer survivors had filed for bankruptcy and that one-third of them had become in debt as a result of their diagnoses, according to a separate study published in the journal Health Affairs in 2016.
” I’ve met people who claim they’re just resigned to having this debt ruin their credit, and they do n’t pay it, but they also experience this kind of harassment and anxiety while they’re dealing with a chronic condition like diabetes or cancer,” said Khanna. I was actually startled by the number of stories people have shared about this.
Polls indicate that members of both parties ‘ parties may have a hard time getting Sanders and Khanna’s bill through the Republican-controlled House. However, the bill’s passage may be challenging. In line with a YouGov survey conducted in 2022, 66 % of Americans, including 56 % of Republicans and 85 % of Democrats, support some form of financial aid for those who have medical debt.
According to Khanna,” People in America do n’t think you should become indebted because you visit a doctor or use an emergency room.” ” It’s kind of animal decency”.
BREAKING: @BernieSanders and I really introduced a bill to CANCEL all health debt. 25 % of Americans say they have skipped medical treatment because of the cost, and 40 % say they have. The consequences are devastating. pic. twitter.com/wLSoetvuhd
— Ro Khanna ( @RoKhanna ) May 8, 2024
Cont. from the press release:
If enacted, the Medical Debt Cancellation Act would:
Create a personal right of action for patients by amending the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which makes collecting medical debt due to the bill’s passage unconstitutional.
By preventing credit reporting organizations from disclosing information related to debt that resulted from medical expenses, amending the Fair Consumer Credit Reporting Act properly removes medical debt from credit reports.
Create a grant program to eliminate health debt within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, giving priority to low-resource providers and underserved populations.
To lessen the likelihood of potential debt being incurred, the Public Health Service Act should be amended to update the requirements for billing and debt collection.
The American public is overwhelmingly supportive of ending health debt, which is a popular sense idea. Republicans are in favor of canceling it, with 84 percent of the vote being impartial. Two-thirds of Americans, in fact, cited health debt when asked what kinds of debt they would like to forgive.”}]] [[{“value”:”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-VT), and Rep. Ro Kohna (D-CA), have introduced legislation to eliminate medical debts for Americans.
The bill is designed to “eliminate the $220 billion medical debt that millions of Americans hold, remove it from credit reports and limit future medical debts.”

The Consumer Credit Reporting Act would also be amended to prevent credit agencies reporting information about unpaid medical bills to patients’ credit histories.
Read more: https://t.co/SXe0fsQnfx
Unusual_whales May 8, 2024

The medical debt crisis has grown in recent years. It has decimated Americans’ bank accounts, and discouraged them from seeking healthcare. Sanders’ office said in a release that among all adults of working age in the United States, 27 percent carry medical debts of more than $500 and 15 percent carry medical debts of $2,000 or higher.
“This is America, the richest nation in the history of mankind.” Sanders said that people in the United States should not go bankrupt due to cancer and not being able to pay for their medical bills.
“No American should be forced to face financial ruin due to the high cost of an unexpected hospital stay or medical emergency. He added that it was time to cancel all medical bills and make health care a human rights, not a luxury.

Bernie Sanders introduces bill to cancel all medical debt.https://t.co/kISCbhLOso
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 8, 2024

The Guardian:
Khanna told the Guardian that he spoke to many Americans who were suffering the financial consequences of this problem. Khanna was shown hundreds of pages of medical bills by a woman who met him. Another person told Khanna about how their mother had incurred debts of hundreds of thousands of dollar after a stroke.
The burden of medical debt seems to fall disproportionately on certain marginalized groups in the US. According to the KFF analysis, those with disabilities were twice as likely to be in debt than those without a handicap. While 7% of Hispanic and 8% of white adults reported that they have medical debt, 13% Black Americans reported unpaid medical bills. According to a study published in Health Affairs in 2016, about one-third (33%) of cancer survivors were in debt due to their diagnosis, and 3% filed for bankruptcy.
Khanna said, “I’ve talked to people who are resigned that this debt will ruin their credit and they don’t even pay it. But they still experience anxiety and harassment while dealing with chronic conditions like cancer or diabetes.” “The number of stories people have shared about this has really shocked me.”
Sanders and Khanna’s bill may face a difficult journey to passage in the Republican-controlled House, but polls suggest that cancelation of medical debt attracts widespread support from members of both parties. According to a YouGov poll conducted in 2022 66% of Americans, including 56% Republicans and 85% Democrats, support some relief for those with medical debt.
Khanna said, “People in America do not think you should be in debt just because you visit a doctor or the emergency room.” “It’s a matter of human decency.”

BREAKING: I and @BernieSanders just introduced a bill that will CANCEL ALL medical debt. 40% of Americans say they are in debt for medical care, and 25% have avoided health care because of costs. The consequences can be devastating. pic.twitter.com/wLSoetvuhd
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) May 8, 2024

Cont. From the press release:
The Medical Debt Cancellation Act, if passed, would:

Amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to make it illegal to collect medical bills incurred before the bill was enacted and to create a private right of actions for patients.
Amend the Fair Consumer Credit Reporting Act to effectively remove medical debt from credit report by preventing credit reporting companies from reporting information relating to debt arising from medical expenses.
Create a grant-giving program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to cancel medical debts, with a priority for low-resource providers and vulnerable groups.
Modify the Public Health Service Act to update the billing and debt collection procedures to limit future debt.

The American public is in favor of canceling medical debts. This support is nonpartisan, with 84 percent Republicans in favor. When asked which types of debt Americans wanted to be forgiven, two thirds said medical debt.

“}]]