Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders released a plan Saturday to eliminate $81 billion in past-due medical debt, going a step beyond his primary rivals who have called for a government-run health insurance program.
“In America today, it is unacceptable that one out of every six Americans have past-due medical bills on their credit report, totaling $81 billion,” Sen. Sanders, I-Vt., said in a statement, adding: “It is immoral and unconscionable that families across the country are being evicted, having their heat disconnected, or having their already-inadequate wages garnished because of crippling medical debt while the health care industry made more than $100 billion in profits last year.”
