U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on a podium where the background includes the audiences and the stripes of an American flag — politics coverage from STAT
Harris unveiled the platform ahead of a rally, also in North Carolina, on Friday.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

By Sarah Owermohle and Rachel Cohrs Zhang

Aug. 16, 2024

WASHINGTON — Vice President Harris says she wants to cancel billions of dollars in medical debt if elected president this fall. 

The plan, unveiled Friday in a wide-ranging platform to cut Americans’ economic costs, is a longtime progressive policy goal. It eclipses a Biden administration initiative this June to exclude medical debt from credit reports, as well as previous Covid-19 relief funding aimed at clearing debt. However, erasing bills amounting to more than $200 billion across the U.S. would require unprecedented congressional and state government cooperation with the White House. 

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Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said in a statement that they would “work with states” on the plan “because no one should go bankrupt just because they had the misfortune of becoming sick or hurt.”

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  1. Sarah Owermohle

    Washington Correspondent

    Sarah Owermohle reports on the administration’s health care initiatives, federal health policy, and its intersection with politics and the courts. She joined STAT in 2022 after covering health policy at Politico. She is also the co-author of the free, twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.

  2. Rachel Cohrs Zhang

    Chief Washington Correspondent

    Rachel Cohrs Zhang reports on the intersection of health policy and business in Washington. She covers Capitol Hill, lobbying, and federal agencies. Her primary areas of focus are the pharmaceutical and hospital industries. She is also the co-author of the free, twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.