Calling All Voters: Vote Like Your Health Depends on It
September 8, 2024
It’s time to vote for change. Together, we can end medical debt.
We have a medical debt crisis in this country. It is a crisis that impacts more than 100 million people in the United States – that’s 4 in 10 adults. And we need policymakers who will tackle the crisis with the urgency that is needed. The #MedicalDebtVoter campaign will keep the voices of those impacted front and center and demand action from our elected leaders.
Medical debt shouldn’t dictate our lives. Let’s vote for a future where everyone has access to the care they need, without the crushing weight of debt.
We need bold policies that address the root causes of medical debt and protect our financial futures. This includes:
Credit Reform: End the practice of using medical debt as a measure of creditworthiness, so that unexpected health emergencies don’t destroy lives and futures.
Debt Protection: Ban the marketing of predatory deferred interest credit cards in health care settings, so that seeking care doesn’t trap people in an endless cycle of debt.
Community Investment: Ensure that non-profit hospitals are providing adequate charity care and truly investing in the communities they serve.
Empowering Voices: Give communities a meaningful role in deciding how health care resources are allocated, ensuring that investments are made in programs and services that are driven by communities and address the real needs of the people.
This election, your vote can help change the system. Join the #MedicalDebtVoter movement and make your voice heard for health justice.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 13: Health advocates and community members gather in Washington D.C. to push the Biden administration to take additional action on medical debt in an event hosted by Community Catalyst, a national organization fighting for race equality and health justice on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Community Catalyst)
Meet the advocates
People across the country are speaking up and making their voices heard:
Samuelwas on the brink of purchasing a home, with a strong credit score and a stable career. But after a sudden medical issue and billing errors from the provider, his credit score plummeted from 720 to 580 due to mounting medical bills. His story is all too common: 75% of voters support efforts to remove all medical debt from credit reports and 66% of voters say they would feel more favorable towards a policymaker that supports these efforts.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 13: Samuel Camacho of Ohio and Alysia Cutting of Georgia speak at a roundtable on Capitol Hill on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. Health advocates and community members gathered in Washington D.C. to push the Biden administration to take additional action on medical debt in an event hosted by Community Catalyst, a national organization fighting for race equality and health justice. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Community Catalyst) 1678685431 Color Image, Horizontal
After being hit with high medical bills and unfair collection practices during his late wife’s and his own cancer battles, Terry Belk is channeling his grief into power to advance a national movement to end medical debt. He and others are advocating for policymakers to ban unfair medical debt collection practices, including those that led to him having to sign over equity in his home.
After being hit with high medical bills and unfair collection practices during his late wife’s and his own cancer battles, Terry is leaning into his power to advance a national movement to end medical debt.
If non-profit hospitals and the broader health care system were more transparent and upfront about the costs of services and availability of financial support services, people like Margarita Emmanuelli, a veteran of the Navy, could avoid accumulating medical debt in the first place.
When Sahida and her husband learned of his epilepsy diagnosis, the couple was shocked. Then came the $8,000 hospital bill. Sahida now works as a health advocate in Illinois to fight for the rights of patients and hold hospitals accountable to their community benefit. “What the whole country should know is that health care is not a business. Health care is a right.”
Sahida is one of our medical debt storytellers. When Sahida’s husband, Arturo, was diagnosed with epilepsy, the couple was shocked. Then came the ,000 hospital bill.
Sherrell Byrd knows how it feels when medical debt grabs a hold of your life. She recalls her stack of medical bills — next to the usual monthly bills — and how the phone would ring only for it to be another collection call.
Sherrell, Founder & Executive Director of SOWEGA Rising
After a short inpatient stay at a hospital, Nicole was diagnosed with MS. Unable to work due to her condition, Nicole went down many avenues to receive assistance — submitting a financial assistance application, finding an experienced patient advocate, obtaining Medicaid coverage, and applying for disability benefits — but she still deals with illegitimate bills and confusing, lengthy processes.
Dana of Pennsylvania was diagnosed with breast cancer at 23 and had thousands of dollars in medical debt. She paid a lot of it with credit cards but is still suffering financially. She was never told about safety net programs (like SNAP) or charity care that might have helped her recover, physically and economically, from this illness.
If you’ve faced the burden of medical debt, your vote is your power. Let’s elect leaders who will prioritize health justice. Join the movement today! 🗳️ #VoteForHealth #EndMedicalDebt
🗳️ Medical debt shouldn't dictate our lives. This election, your vote can help change the system.
of voters support removing medical debt from credit reports
66%
feel more favorable towards a policymaker that supports these efforts
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Health Justice is Economic Justice
New polling by Community Catalyst and HIT Strategies reveals strong bipartisan voter support for policies that tackle medical debt. The people have spoken — the connection between health care affordability and people’s overall health and economic well-being is clear.
Community Catalyst Launches “I Am A Medical Debt Voter” GOTV Campaign
Community Catalyst announced today that it is launching a first-of-its-kind “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) campaign, called “I Am A Medical Debt Voter.” The effort aims to engage and mobilize the 4 in 10 adults with medical debt in the elections by emphasizing the importance of electing policymakers who will address the medical debt crisis with urgency. This action is a powerful way to address the top areas of concern for voters: the cost of living and economic well-being.
A Compendium of State Policies to Curb Hospital Prices and Reduce Medical Debt
By collecting these policies in one place, advocates can compare the policies of different states and identify where their state government can be pushed to improve.
NEW POLLING: Voters Want Policymakers To Do More To Address Health and Economic Justice; Make Health Care More Affordable
Polling commissioned by Community Catalyst finds overwhelming support for action to expand dental care, protect people from medical debt and hold non-profit hospitals accountable to their tax breaks.
Medical Bills: Everything You Need to Know About Your Rights
Navigate medical bills and other common charges in health care settings — like when you need emergency care, are scheduling care at a hospital, or are faced with unaffordable medical bills.
