Patient and consumer advocates are looking to Kamala Harris to accelerate federal efforts to help people struggling with medical debt if she prevails in next month's presidential election. And they see the vice president and Democratic nominee as the best hope for preserving Americans' access to health insurance. Comprehensive coverage that limits patients' out-of-pocket costs offers the best defense against going into debt, experts say.
The Biden administration has expanded 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 Inflation Reduction Act, which limits how much Medicare enrollees must pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs, including a $35-a-month cap on insulin. And in statehouses across the country, Democrats and Republicans have been quietly working together to enact laws to rein in debt collectors.
But advocates say the federal government could do more to address a problem that burdens 100 million Americans, forcing many to take on extra work, give up their homes, and cut spending on food and other essentials. "Biden and Harris have done more to tackle the medical debt crisis in this country than any other administration," said Mona Shah, senior director of policy and strategy at Community Catalyst, a nonprofit that has led national efforts to strengthen protections against medical debt. "But there is more.