US Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Ro Khanna are introducing a new bill that aims to clear all patient medical debt. The bill was introduced by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. This bill would create a federal grant program to cancel all existing patient debt.
The proposal would amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to block creditors from collecting past medical bills. Furthermore, the legislation would update billing requirements for medical providers and alter the Consumer Credit Reporting Act to prevent credit agencies from reporting information related to unpaid medical bills. This would alleviate 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 going bankrupt because they got cancer and could not afford to 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 run was to eliminate all medical debt. Since missing out on nomination, the senator remains persistent on this mission, and he now serves as the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Help) committee. He and Congresswoman Ro Khanna have worked together over the past year in developing this proposal, and are now introducing it to the government for review.
“No one in America should face financial ruin because of the outrageous cost of an unexpected medical emergency or a hospital stay,” Bernie Sanders adds in a statement. about the medical bill. “The time has come to cancel all medical debt and guarantee health care to all as a human right, not a privilege.”
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Despite the good intentions of the bill, it may find rough waters ahead in the Republican-lead house. However, polls suggest that the cancelation of medical debt attracts widespread support from members of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Depending on costs, the proposal may get more consideration than expected.
“People in America don’t think you should go into debt because you go to see a doctor or go to the emergency room,” Khanna said. “It’s kind of human decency.”