Harris supports reducing the medical bill. Advocates of Trump’s “ideas” are worried

Patient and consumer advocates are looking to Kamala Harris to speed up federal efforts to help people struggling with medical debt if she wins next month’s presidential election.

And they see the vice president and the Democratic nominee as the best hope to preserve Americans’ access to health insurance. Comprehensive coverage that reduces patients’ out-of-pocket costs provides the best protection against going into debt, experts say.

The Biden administration has increased financial protections for patients, including a landmark proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports.

In 2022, President Joe Biden also signed the Affordable Care Act, which limits how much Medicare enrollees must pay for prescription drugs, including $35 a month for insulin. And in statehouses across the country, Democrats and Republicans are quietly working together to pass laws to stop debt collectors.

But advocates say the federal government could do more to address the problem that is weighing on 100 million Americans, forcing many to work more, give up their homes, and cut spending on food and other necessities. important.

“Biden and Harris have done more to address the medical debt crisis in this country than any other administration,” said Mona Shah, senior director of policy and strategy at Community Catalyst, the nonprofit organization that led the effort. of the state to strengthen protection against medical debt. “But there is more to be done and it should be a priority for Congress and the next administration.”

At the same time, patient advocates fear that if former President Donald Trump wins a second term, he will weaken insurance coverage by allowing states to cut their Medicaid programs or by cutting aid. of the federal government to help Americans buy health insurance. That could put millions of people at greater risk of going into debt if they get sick.

In his first term, Trump and congressional Republicans in 2017 tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a measure that independent analysts concluded would have deprived millions of Americans of health care. good and increasing costs for people with pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes and cancer. . The Trump administration has also cut back on health insurance, promoting “skinny plans” that cover smaller amounts and are cheaper, but often leave people with huge bills if they get sick. Trump signed the Bipartisan No Surprises Act, which provides protection against the worst cases of out-of-network billing, but Trump and his GOP allies continue to attack the ACA. The former president said he wants to roll back the Affordable Care Act, which includes aid to help low- and middle-income Americans buy health insurance.

Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, a consumer group that has supported federal health coverage, said: “People are going to face a wave of medical bills because of paying premiums and prescription drug prices.” “Patients and the public should be concerned.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about its health care plan. And the former president has not talked about health care or the medical bill during the campaign, although he said in an interview last month that he had “ideas for a plan” to improve the ACA. Trump has not provided specifics.

Harris has repeatedly pledged to defend the ACA and renew the expanded subsidies for monthly insurance premiums created by the Affordable Care Act. That grant is set to expire next year.

The vice president also introduced support for spending more federal money to buy and retire old medical bills for patients. In recent years, many states and cities have purchased medical bills for their citizens.

The effort relieves the debt of hundreds of thousands of people, although many patient and consumer advocates say that getting rid of old debt is a short-term solution, as patients will continue to incur debt that they cannot pay off. they pay without taking any serious action.

“It’s a boat with a hole in it,” said Katie Berge, a spokeswoman for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The patient group was among more than 50 organizations that last year sent letters to the Biden administration urging federal agencies to take stronger measures to protect Americans from medical bills.

“Medical debt is no longer a primary issue,” said Kirsten Sloan, who works on government policy for the American Cancer Action Network. “It is the key to the economic well-being of millions of Americans.”

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is developing regulations that would keep medical debt off of consumers’ credit reports, which could improve credit scores and make it easier for millions of Americans to rent an apartment, get a job, or secure a mortgage. car.

Harris, who called the medical bill “critical to the financial health and well-being of millions of Americans,” enthusiastically supported the proposed legislation. “No one should be denied economic opportunity just because they have a medical emergency,” he said in June.

Harris’s partner, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who said his family struggled with medical debt when he was young, signed a state law in June banning debt collection.

CFPB officials have said the regulations will be finalized early next year. Trump has not indicated whether he will pursue medical debt protection. During his first term, the CFPB did little to address medical debt, and longtime congressional Republicans criticized the regulatory agency.

If Harris is successful, many consumer groups want the CFPB to cut back even further, including tightening oversight of medical credit cards and other financial products that hospitals and other medical providers have begun to offer. force to patients. These loans lock people into paying interest on their medical debt.

“We’re seeing a lot of new medical financing products,” said April Kuehnhoff, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. This could raise new concerns about consumer protection, and is important for the CFPB and other regulators to monitor. companies. “

Some advocates want other federal agencies to get involved, too.

This includes the enormous Department of Health and Human Services, which manages hundreds of billions of dollars through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. That money gives the federal government greater power over hospitals and other medical providers.

So far, the Biden administration has not used that opportunity to pay off the medical debt.

But in a possible glimpse of future action, state leaders in North Carolina recently won federal approval for a medical credit measure that would require hospitals to take steps to reduce patient debt in exchange for aid. government. Harris praised the move.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on life issues and is one of the main programs operating in KFF.