Between the lines of Bernie Sanders' plan to eliminate medical debt

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

The big picture: It also, of course, is a simple solution to the problem of unaffordable health care costs, a top issue for voters and one that has only become more prominent with the rise of deductibles and other forms of cost-sharing.

(snip)

Between the lines: Sanders would have the federal government "negotiate and pay off past-due medical bills in collections that have been reported to credit agencies," per the plan.

But medical debt often doesn't get paid, so collectors will sell it for cheap. Craig Antico, founder of the nonprofit charity R.I.P. Medical Debt — which buys and absolves health care debt in bulk — told NYT that the market price for $81 billion in debt could be as low as $500 million.

(snip)

What we're watching: Sanders' embrace of "Medicare for All" has transformed the Democratic party, pulling it much further left on health care. It's unclear if his stance on medical debt will play the same way, and how the rest of the 2020 field will respond.


https://www.axios.com/bernie-sanders-medical-debt-plan-surprise-bills-lawsuits-e09c4598-8df0-49b0-a6b5-06fa85d64761.html

[billpolonsky]

1. Thank God for Bernie Sanders

America needs bold ideas and Sanders is paving the way.

I think many people see his campaign as pie in the sky when in reality the ideas he puts out there are rational, well thought out and rebuild a societal foundation that has been chipped away at for decades.

In the 2016 race he talked about negotiation, and I paraphrase here : "why settle for crumbs,when there's a whole damned loaf."

[Uncle Joe]

2. Well said billpolonsky

[ismnotwasm]

3. Sigh

If only people had pulled behind Hillary in 1993.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_health_care_plan_of_1993

[ehrnst]

5. Yes. Or Ted Kennedy when Dems told him "single payer or bust" in '71.

He said that walking away from Nixon's health reform plan that was to the left of the ACA, because it was not single payer was one of the great regrets of his career.

[corbettkroehler]

7. You Mean The Plan For Which Hillary Thanked Bernie In 1993?

In her own hand, then First Lady Clinton penned a note of thanks to Congressman Sanders for his efforts in the same fight.

Link to tweet

[betsuni]

8. No. He didn't cosponsor the Health Security Act. He didn't think it went far enough.

He cosponsored a different, single-payer bill that year and she thanked him for also working on the health care issue.

[corbettkroehler]

9. She Was So Disappointed That She Wrote Him A Thank You Note?

I wish everyone received such gratitude!

[betsuni]

10. She's famous for writing thank you notes.

And she doesn't only think about herself, as her long career of getting things done to help people shows.

[corbettkroehler]

11. Got It - Those Impeding Her Health Care Efforts Received Notes, Too

Even if she wrote 100 notes per day (skipping the fact that she made the extra effort of securing the two-shot photo of her conversation with Bernie), try as you might, you can't dismiss the significance of this.

Bottom line, Bernie was her ally on health care, period!

[betsuni]

12. Why do you think Bernie impeded her health care efforts?

I'm sure he voted for Hillary's health care act. Democrats need to work together to get health care passed. Universal health care is the goal and always has been.

[corbettkroehler]

13. Try Rereading My Previous Reply (n/t)

[ehrnst]

4. That's what Rolling Jubilee has been doing for years. I hope he gives them credit for the idea.

https://rollingjubilee.org/

Strike Debt is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street. First started in New York City, but inspired by movements around the globe, Strike Debt now has affiliates across the country. We believe people should not go into debt for basic necessities like education, healthcare and housing. Strike Debt initiatives like the Debt Resistors’ Operations Manual offer advice to all kinds of debtors about how to escape debt and how to join a growing collective resistance to the debt system. Our network has the goal of building a broad movement, with more effective ways of resisting debt, and with the ultimate goal of creating an alternative economy that benefits us all and not just the 1%.

How Does Rolling Jubilee Work?
Banks sell debt for pennies on the dollar on a shadowy speculative market of debt buyers who then turn around and try to collect the full amount from debtors. The Rolling Jubilee intervenes by buying debt, keeping it out of the hands of collectors, and then abolishing it. We’re going into this market not to make a profit but to help each other out and highlight how the predatory debt system affects our families and communities. Think of it as a bailout of the 99% by the 99%.

[customerserviceguy]

6. The biggest problem I see with this

is that if the Federal government stepped into the business of buying up uncollectible medical debt, it would not be sold off as cheaply as it is now.

Why is it sold off so cheaply? Because much of it is total bullshit to begin with. When you get a charge of $10,000 for a procedure, and your insurance company "negotiates" that down to $2,000, then pays 80% of it, leaving you with a $400 balance to pay, you feel "relieved". But the $10K charge was bullshit in the first place.

And what's worse, chances are, there was no real way to find out all of this before you underwent the procedure in the first place. Now, I know that all kinds of different prices are charged for airline seats (even within a class of service) but before someone gets their butt in that seat, they know how much it's going to cost them.

If we applied the way we pay for medical care in this country to air travel, what would happen is that when you got to your destination, they'd spin a wheel, and whatever that wheel came up with, your credit card would be charged for. And irrevocably, because, hey, they got you to the destination, didn't they?