Two prominent progressive lawmakers, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and California congressman Ro Khanna, revealed on Wednesday a new bill aimed at eliminating medical debt.
Now, as the chair of the Senate health, education, labor, and pensions (Help) committee, Sanders has worked with Khanna for over a year to introduce a bill that could make his campaign promise a reality.
According to a separate study published in the journal Health Affairs in 2016, approximately one-third of cancer survivors had gone into debt as a result of their diagnoses, and 3% had filed for bankruptcy.
“I’ve met people who say they’re just resigned to having this debt ruin their credit, and they don’t pay it, but they have this kind of harassment and anxiety while they’re dealing with a chronic condition like cancer or diabetes,” Khanna said.
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 March survey conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, Joe Biden continues to lead Donald Trump among likely voters under 30, but just 44% of the president’s young supporters say they enthusiastically back their candidate.
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