Sanders Wants To Eliminate $81 Billion In Medical Debt For Americans: ‘It Is An Insane And Cruel System’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hinted at a plan to eliminate medical debt for Americans, a top concern among many voters. "Why should people be placed in financial duress?" Sanders said during a campaign event. "For what crime did you commit? You got a serious illness?" Although some progressives have been receptive to Sanders' health care proposals, other Democrats have balked at the potential expense.
The Washington Post:
Sen. Bernie Sanders Teases Plan To Cancel $81 Billion In Americans’ Medical Debt
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders plans to release a new proposal to cancel $81 billion worth of medical debt Americans are struggling to pay off, adding to a suite of ideas that would represent the largest expansion of the nation’s social safety net in decades and likely cost tens of trillions of dollars. The senator from Vermont is seeking the Democratic nomination on promises of enacting Medicare-for-all, wiping away student loan debt and aggressively combating climate change, initiatives that together would cost an estimated $48 trillion or more over a decade, a tally of campaign estimates shows. (Sullivan, 8/31)
Reuters:
Bernie Sanders Proposes Canceling $81 Billion U.S. Medical Debt
Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont, said in a statement that under his plan, the government would negotiate and pay off past-due medical bills that have been reported to credit agencies. The proposal, he said, would also repeal some elements of the 2005 Bankruptcy reform bill and allow other existing and future medical debt to be discharged. (8/31)
CNN:
Bernie Sanders Teases Plan To Eliminate Billions In Medical Debt
A woman at the town hall stood up and asked, "Is there anything in your plan that would actually work for people that are drowning right now for their medical debt?" "We're looking at that right now," Sanders responded. "In another piece of legislation that we're going to be offering we will eliminate medical debt in this country. I mean, just stop and think for a second. Why should people be placed in financial duress? For what crime did you commit? You got a serious illness? That is not what this country should be about." Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir told CNN on Friday that "Sen. Sanders had previously asked us to pull together a plan to finally end the crisis of medical debt, and when asked directly about it tonight he was honest and candid in previewing his thinking on this important matter." (Grayer, 8/31)
Portland Press Herald:
Sanders Talks ‘Political Revolution’ At Portland Campaign Stop
“Health care is a human right, not a privilege,” he said Sunday night, pledging to also lower the cost of pharmaceuticals if elected and promising that no Americans would pay more than $200 for the prescriptions they need. He said the shooting in West Texas that left seven people dead Saturday and other recent shootings can be difficult to talk about, and while there is no one solution to reducing gun violence, there are a few things he would do if elected. Those include expanding background checks, ending gun show loopholes and ending the sale and distribution of assault weapons. (Ohm, 9/1)
The Hill:
Sanders Previews Plan To Cancel All Past-Due Medical Debt
White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Saturday previewed his upcoming plan to cancel all past-due medical debt. Sanders, who will unveil the plan in full next month, has made the country’s health care costs a focal point of his progressive policy proposals. Sanders's plan would cancel $81 billion in existing past-due medical debt, repeal parts of the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill and ensure that unpaid medical bills do not impact one’s credit score. (Axelrod, 8/31)
The Associated Press:
Sanders: Medicare For All Means More Taxes, Better Coverage
Health care was the focus of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders' second day of campaigning in pivotal early-voting South Carolina, where lack of Medicaid expansion has left thousands unable to obtain health coverage. The Vermont senator focused on "Medicare for All," his signature proposal replacing job-based and individual private health insurance with a government-run plan that guarantees coverage for all with no premiums, deductibles and only minimal copays for certain services. (Kinnard, 8/30)
Meanwhile in other 2020 news —
The Associated Press:
Too Old For President? Health And Fitness A Better Question
Science says age is only a number, not a proxy for physical and mental fitness. But with three Democrats in their 70s vying to challenge the oldest first-term president in American history, age's importance will be tested as never before. Only a few years separate President Donald Trump, 73, from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 77, and former Vice President Joe Biden, 76. But as Trump mocks Biden for verbal missteps, suggesting age has slowed his Democratic rival, both Sanders and Biden have conspicuously showcased their physical activity during the campaign. (Neergaard and Schor, 8/31)
