Senator Murphy: "1000's of poor people are being put in jail b/c they are late on medical bills"

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

Chris Murphy ✔@ChrisMurphyCT

Please please read this.

Thousands of poor people are being put in jail bc they are late on medical bills. Like a dad, arrested and taken away from his cancer ridden child.

That’s why I’m writing legislation to end this horrific abuse.

https://features.propublica.org/medical-debt/when-medical-debt-collectors-decide-who-gets-arrested-coffeyville-kansas/
When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested
Welcome to Coffeyville, Kansas, where the judge has no law degree, debt collectors get a cut of the bail, and Americans are watching their lives — and liberty — disappear in the pursuit of medical...

5:38 PM - Feb 16, 2020

[ck4829]

1. Sounds like something that shouldn't be happening under, you know, a "strong economy"

[Faux pas]

2. Nothing like going

way back in time to debtors prison is right.

[Stuart G]

3. Why isn't this legislation written by someone from Kansas?

This lawmaker is from Connecticut. Why not the Kansas people? Or are those representatives in bed with the debt collectors instead of the people who live in Kansas? Who do the Kansas senators care about?

[BigmanPigman]

4. Damn good point!

I read last week that the state of Utah is paying to send patients to San Diego to drive over the border to Tijuana, Mexico for their Rx refills since it is so much cheaper than the US.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/11/691467587/americans-seek-cheaper-meds-in-mexico

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/utah-sends-employees-mexico-lower-prescription-prices-68861516

[dflprincess]

9. So one might say the state of Utah

is sending caravans of people down to Mexico?

BTW, I saw those articles too; not unlike people going from northern border states into Canada though I haven't heard of a state government or private company paying for employees' trips to Thunder Bay.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. The people in Kansas vote for the assholes who are screwing them.

They must not be that unhappy with the consequences.

[Rebl2]

7. Very true

But it’s wrong anyway

[tblue37]

14. Our senators are Republicans: Pat Roberts; Jerry Moran. They wouldn't care. nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. It should also be seen as a warning ...

If you rely on health insurance from an employer, it can be taken away as easily as pensions and jobs have been and are taken away.

Health care should be treated as a basic human right.

[Mr.Bill]

8. After reading the story in the link in Senator Murphy's tweet,

Senator Murphy's quote is not accurate. First, this isn't just about medical bills, it's about any unpaid debts. And the people are not being arrested for owing debts, they are being arrested on warrants for failure to appear in court, some of them several times.

Same thing would happen in my county in California if I failed to show up for a traffic ticket I had not paid. A warrant would be issued for my arrest.

The real problem is, of course, that medical debt exists at all. That's what needs to be addressed, and every Democratic candidate has a way of doing so.

[AllaN01Bear]

10. if they are in jail, how are the debit collectors going to get paid ? dosent compute

[DENVERPOPS]

13. Some day

all these despicable heathen Republicans and the voters that put them in office will get theirs, in spades........

[catbyte]

11. Unless we wrestle back control of the US government, debtor's prisons & indentured servitude aren't

far behind. As far as debtor's prisons go, we're pretty much there now.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. We are truly at a tipping point. Democracy or servitude. This ain't no party.