U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Ro Khanna are introducing a new bill that aims to eliminate all patient medical debt. The bill was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. This account would create a federal grant program to forgive all existing patient debt.
The proposal would amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to prevent creditors from collecting past medical bills. In addition, the legislation would update billing requirements for medical providers and amend the Consumer Credit Reporting Act to prevent credit agencies from reporting information related to unpaid medical bills. This would reduce the risk of these debts damaging patients' credit histories.
“This is the United States of America, the richest country in the history of the world. People in our country should not be allowed to go bankrupt because they have been diagnosed with cancer and cannot pay their medical bills,” Sanders said in a statement.
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Bernie Sanders' new medical debt bill would clear billions
One of Sanders' campaign promises during his most recent presidential election was to eliminate all medical debt. Since missing out on the nomination, the senator has remained committed to this mission and is now chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (Help). He and Congressman Ro Khanna have worked together over the past year to develop this proposal and are now submitting it to the administration for review.
“No one in America should have to experience financial ruin because of the excessive cost of an unexpected medical emergency or hospitalization,” Bernie Sanders added in a statement. about the medical bill. “The time has come to cancel all medical debt and guarantee health care for all as a human right, not a privilege.”
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Despite the bill's good intentions, it could run into trouble in the Republican-led House. However, polls show that medical debt forgiveness has broad support from members of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Depending on the costs, the proposal may receive more attention than expected.
“People in America don't think you should go into debt just because you see a doctor or go to the emergency room,” Khanna said. “It's a kind of human decency.”