Sanders draws a line on debt-forgiveness plans: He won't cancel your credit card balance

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

As for where he draws the line, Sanders said “there’s a difference” between wiping out medical debt and credit card debt.

“I don’t believe we wipe out credit card debt. You want to buy something, you pay for it,” he noted. ”If you want to go out and buy a fancy house, you want to go out and buy a yacht, and you go in debt, hey that’s your decision.”

“But I do believe we have to make a distinction,” he said. “Getting cancer is not your decision. And I think we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to cancel that debt.”

Sanders has said that under his plan, the federal government would negotiate to pay off past-due medical bills reported by credit agencies. And he’s added he would also propose repealing parts of the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill.

(snip)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sanders-draws-a-line-on-debt-forgiveness-plans-he-wont-cancel-your-credit-card-balance

[Tiggeroshii]

1. CRAP

[Uncle Joe]

3. In general I agree but it's not a bad article on Bernie as from a Fox viewer's perspective.

Some of them no doubt have no clue and this gives them reassurance.

I don't believe it to be a bad article.

[Tiggeroshii]

4. Agreed!

His policies are pretty common sense and nuanced and it's nice to start seeing media portray it as such, over the pie in the sky narrative they like to cling to.

[WA-03 Democrat]

2. Here here!!

“Getting cancer is not your decision. And I think we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to cancel that debt.”

How true and we’ll spoken!

[squirecam]

6. hmmm

It isn't as black and white as that. If you smoked for 30 years, getting lung cancer may well have been your decision. Its not like there wasn't decades of warnings...

[Perseus]

18. But the excessive cost of Chemotherapy is not their fault

I have a feeling Bernie is referring more to the costs associated with having cancer. I agree, you were told cigarette smoking is bad for you and you said bah!.

I have a friend who suffers from Emphysema because of all the years he smoke. His case is even worst because he saw his older brother die of pulmonary cancer at his house, he saw how his brother practically disintegrated in front of their eyes. But people always believe that it cannot happen to them, and then when it does its too late to be sorry.

[LisaM]

21. Buying food or school clothes isn't always a decision either.

I do think for non-medical debt, we need to start looking at penalties and interest - that's where the real problem is, anyway, before erasing the principle.

[Mr.Bill]

5. I would settle for a law

that says before medical entities sell your debt to a collection agency, which they often do for pennies on the dollar, they must offer you the same deal first.

[thesquanderer]

8. then no one would pay their bill, they would wait for it to be reduced to pennies on dollar.

no easy answers...

[Mr.Bill]

9. And why would they pay

under Bernie's plan to erase the debt?

[thesquanderer]

15. I don't know the details of the plan. But...

...I assume he's talking about people who are currently in medical debt, not future recipients of medical care. Because the future medical expenses would ostensibly be covered by MFA which would prevent medical debt from happening in the first place.

[calguy]

7. Sorry Bernie

If you won't cancel my credit card debt and my mortgage debt, since you're cancelling everyone else's debt, I can't vote for you. I mean, what's in it for MEEEEEEE??!!!???

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. We got our credit card debt because we paid our mortgage and medical bills first.

And I can assure you we didn't use them to pay for a yacht.

[George II]

11. How about car loans? Last week we bought a new car and were going to pay cash, but...

....took out a loan in hopes.....................

[NurseJackie]

14. OMG! That's funny! 😂🤣😃😄😁

You're killing me!

[George II]

12. "Getting cancer is not your decision...." Tell that to chain smokers.

[squirecam]

13. my point above

/nt

[NYMinute]

17. Also, overeating and lack of exercise cause a lot of conditions too. nt

[Joe941]

16. What is you can prove you paid medical bills with cc?

[George II]

20. Back when I was a struggling engineer, almost 50 years ago I actually DID pay doctor bills with a cc

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. Have done so.

[aikoaiko]

23. I think Bernie should include CC debt used to pay medical bills.

I think a lot of people hold off the hospital bill collectors by putting them on CC.

[Joe941]

24. What if you had to sell your car or house to pay medical bills?

It happens... I think this should be reimbursed. It wouldn't be fair for people that sacrificed deeply to pay bills.