Sanders Unveils Plan to Cancel $81 Billion in U.S. Medical Debt

Bernie Sanders

Photographer: Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday introduced a plan to cancel $81 billion in past-due medical bills and replace private credit-reporting companies with a public registry that will exclude debt tied to health costs.

The Vermont Democrat proposed revising a 2005 bankruptcy law to let people with high bills use the courts to seek relief, and eliminate the means-testing requirement to file for protection from creditors, according to a statement from his campaign.