Two top progressives in Congress are joining forces with leading medical activists to pressure Washington officials to reduce the burden of patient medical debt and looting.
Our Revolution, Led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Me, Vermont) and first reported by The Hill, the next “Health Care Debt Free” initiative is , intended to push the Democratic Party out of the status quo. He brought the White House to Congress to address what liberals see as one of the most pressing national issues: health care costs.
“Healthcare is the third rail in American politics,” said Joseph Giebergies, who heads Our Revolution, a coalition of grassroots members spearheading the debt relief campaign.
“The truth is, even after the expansion of the ACA, even after efforts to expand Medicaid statewide, we see a significant number of patients, even those with medical insurance, struggling under the burden of medical debt. There are,” Geevarghese said.
Close ideological allies and personal friends Khanna and Sanders are drafting the next bill in the House and Senate this month, while activists tell President Biden to increase prices for vulnerable patients. and prepares to encourage the use of administrative measures to end a range of predatory debt collections. make it possible.
After Biden kicked off his 2024 re-election campaign and recently signed into law the bill announcing the end of the national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic, progressive lawmakers are making their case, and many are worried about spending money on treatment. placed in a vulnerable position.
Expanding access to health care and patient protection continues to be polled as the credible and popular position nationwide, with Democrats (from former Presidents Clinton and Obama to Sanders himself) running for election. I urge you to devote yourself heavily to this issue during the period.
Our Revolution and Khanna held a virtual forum on Monday evening with advocates from the National Consumer Law Center and Tzedek DC, and patients whose lives have been severely impacted by medical debt and the associated systemic burden. It will be held.
The event is expected to elicit testimony from patients who have suffered long-term harm as a result of some of the industry’s most harmful practices, from cancer diagnoses to stroke to traumatic brain injury, including racking up life-changing debt. I’m here.
“In 2010, I was hit by a car on my bicycle. I barely survived, suffered a brain injury, had my hand amputated and reattached, costing me nearly $1 million.” Some of that went to credit cards, and now instead of paying for it, we end up paying more for uncovered pain treatments,” she said. is.”
Indiana resident Elizabeth McLaughlin said she was debt-free until one experience in the emergency room left her staggered.
“I didn’t have any debt until I went to the ER for an injury in 2015 and was hit with a $20,000 bill,” McLaughlin said ahead of the meeting. I was still in debt.”
Khanna, who is leading the effort in the House of Representatives, has become a prominent speaker by increasing her national presence in Congressional Progressive caucuses, often focusing on various policies and working-class middle and working classes. of real-world financial impacts on Americans. .
His previous role as co-chair of Sanders’ campaign in 2020 allowed him to work alongside Vermont senators on his signature issue. There, he attracted a large audience with his commitment to Medicare for All and speaking out against what many on the left are most important in the medical industry. Damaging anti-patient practices.
As progressive lawmakers prepare to tackle the legislative process on Capitol Hill and face political difficulties in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, activists are rallying dozens of lawmakers hoping to get the attention of the White House. It draws support from states and major congressional districts. .
Their goal is to put pressure on the Biden administration to see what is possible through the president’s actions. They also plan to target the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to address broader issues, “beyond the band-aid” of debt forgiveness, as Geevarghese puts it. .
“Medical debt is the number one reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States,” said Geevarghese. “We can stop it and the president has power.”
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