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Bernie Sanders has released a plan to wipe out all US medical debt – about $ 81 billion – as part of its multifaceted strategy to radically reorganize healthcare delivery.
The proposal of the Democratic presidential candidate, published Saturday morning, will not only cancel debt by negotiation between the government and collectors, but will also reform the means of debt recovery and upset the system which, according to him, is only detrimental to people seeking protection by declaring themselves bankrupt. His plan would also replace credit reporting agencies such as Equifax by a public credit registry that ignores medical debts when calculating scores.
"A staggering 79 million Americans fight to pay their medical bills or pay off their medical debts, including more than half those who earn less than $ 40,000 a year, "said the Vermont senator in Saturday's statement. "Last year alone, 8 million people have been pushed into poverty because of medical expenses. "
Bernie also cited as the reason for this plan the number of Americans thrown into bankruptcy every year because of high medical costs.
"In reality, 66.5% of bankruptcies are related to medical problems – both because of the skyrocketing cost of care, and because of the patient's time away from the patient, as well as the resulting expense and lack of income, "said his proposal. Studies show that 500,000 people are declared bankrupt each year by medical expenses – and the actual number can be much higher. "
The figure of 500,000 comes from a March editorial of the American Journal of Public Health in which Dr. David Himmelstein, the lead author, sampled bankruptcy statements from debtors each year from 2013 to 2016 and found that medical costs were related to 500,000 bankruptcies a year.
Yet, Sanders' complaint overestimates the role of medical debt in bankruptcy. Himmelstein's research does not say that bankruptcies were directly attributable to medical bills; he says rather that medical expenses have played a certain role in the financial distress of these people.
"Often a bankruptcy has many causes and it is not possible to separate one from the other," Himmelstein told reporters. Washington Examiner in a recent interview. "There are many things in life that have multiple causes and can not be completely unraveled."
Sanders' latest proposal adds to his platform for overhauling the health system, which he describes as fatally flawed and aimed at helping wealthy business leaders.
Sanders called for a reorganization of the credit reporting system, citing Equifax's 2017 breach, which exposed the confidential information of millions of people, adding that Equifax's chief executive officer $ 90 million payday."
Bernie is distinguished from his Democratic competitors by his plan. Senator Elizabeth Warren, in particular, has aligned herself with Sanders' Medicare for All Act, but none has publicly announced a plan to eliminate medical debt estimated at $ 81 billion.
"Imposing additional stress and hardship on someone for the" crime "of falling ill is immoral, unreasonable and anti-American. We will eliminate the medical debts that are due, put an end to the predatory tactics of debt collectors and ensure that non-profit hospitals fulfill their mission, "said Sanders.
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