More than a third of American families already have medical debt because of rising healthcare costs
Donald Trump and his administration want Americans to take out loans for medical bills they can’t pay after they made healthcare even more expensive for tens of millions of Americans.
Trump and Republicans refused to extend the popular enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, forcing premiums to increase by an average of 58% and causing ACA enrollment to initially drop by over 1 million — a figure that continues to climb as Americans struggle to afford their monthly payments. Before that, Trump and Republicans cut Medicaid by nearly $1 TRILLION — the largest cut to healthcare in history — which is projected to leave an additional 15 million people uninsured. And despite Trump touting his “most favored nation” deals, numerous drugmakers have raised prices on hundreds of prescription drugs and launched new drugs at an average price of $353,000 a year.
In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and Republicans raised healthcare costs for tens of millions of Americans – and now his administration is suggesting that Americans should take out loans for medical bills they can’t pay. In Trump’s economy, working families are already struggling to make ends meet as prices skyrocket. Americans are being forced to decide whether to pay their medical bills or put food on the table. Americans shouldn’t be taking on even more medical debt just because Trump wanted to hand out tax cuts to his rich and powerful friends.”
The Trump administration already slashed federal and state protections that prevented medical debt from appearing on credit reports. It’s no wonder 73% of adults say healthcare affordability is a very big problem for the country, and Trump’s disapproval of his handling of healthcare is the highest of any president this century.
