Fact Check: Can Joe Biden Eliminate All Healthcare Debt By Executive Order?
On 2/2/21 at 6:22 PM EST
He has put forth measures to address equality, climate change and the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Claim
On Twitter, some people were critical of Biden s healthcare plan. User @DoctorFishBones wanted the plan to include medical debt elimination for all Americans, claiming it can be done through executive order.
You know what isn t in Biden s healthcare plans? Forgiving everyone s medical debt, which he could do with the stroke of a pen by executive order Meme Stock Consultant (@DoctorFishbones) January 29, 2021
The Facts
Debt elimination is a hot topic among lawmakers. The onset of a global pandemic has exacerbated the growing stress of medical bill debt in the country, as many people lost their jobs and their employer-based health insurance.
Northwell Health says it will stop suing patients during pandemic
Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images
Northwell Health has vowed to stop suing patients over unpaid bills during the COVID-19 pandemic following a report that it sued thousands of patients last year.
Not-for-profit Northwell, New York state s biggest private hospital system, sued more than 2,500 patients last year, a New York Times investigation found. Over the same period, almost all other major private hospitals in the state voluntarily halted the practice after Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered public hospitals to do so. Northwell has said it will drop those claims.
Suing over unpaid bills is an extreme practice that hospital leaders say they d prefer to avoid, but some argue is necessary when patients don t meet their financial assistance criteria. There isn t much national data on how often it happens. Rather, such litigation commonly comes to light through media reports, such as the 2019 Kaiser Health News