Medical debt- it can happen to you too.

This current administration rolled back restrictions on medical debt, ending the Biden- era rule that bans medical debt from credit reports. You might think all that happens to people who are low income and possibly irresponsible, but that is far from the truth.

I’ll share one story of a patient. Young, able bodied and debt free, attacked by a stranger resulting in missed weeks of work and a pileup of bills for care. The bills included a $1500 ambulance ride from the crime scene,co-pays from the emergency room, psychiatric care, medication, deductibles and co-pays. Self-employed, this patient lost opportunities that further impacted his financial situation.

When it is all said and done, and it is not done, the debt will have to be paid, and with this ruling, may impact opportunities for credit application.

This is an equal opportunity problem. Any one of us could experience this event. Unfortunately the safety net has been ripped away.

Political determinants of health are non-medical influences of health outcome. Policies like the one described in this post directly affect the health of a community and individual health outcomes.

Your vote matters.