Entities	Biden White House (22)
Topics and Issues	Medical debt (44)

Twice in May 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned medical debt bans in public speeches.

The Biden/Harris Nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour rolled into Detroit in early-May. Below is a segment from a speech delivered by Vice President Harris.

President Biden and I have made debt forgiveness a central pillar of our economic agenda.  And we have already forgiven about $500 million of medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Americans across the nation.  (Applause.)

And in Wayne County, Michigan, we will forgive an additional $700 million of medical debt for as many as 300,000 people.  (Applause.)

And there’s more.  We are also implementing a rule — and this is critically important — we are also implementing a rule that medical debt cannot be used in calculating your credit score — (applause) — which means medical debt cannot be the reason someone is denied a car loan, a home loan, or a small-business loan.  (Applause.)

Harris also mentioned student loan forgiveness.

On May 29, Vice President Harris spoke in Philadelphia. In her remarks, she said that the Administration

…also took on the issue of debt, which makes so many people feel like they can never get ahead.

Take, for example, medical debt. We are now making it so medical debt can no longer be included on your credit score — (applause) — so that medical debt cannot impact a person’s ability to get a car loan, an apartment lease, or a home loan. (Applause.)

In 2020, we promised to forgive student loan debt. (Applause.)