The Enlightenment

Few things are as tragic as a loved one dying. Dealing with a bill collector as you mourn? That is something else.

I have previously discussed how backwards the United States healthcare system is. Before, I had written in regards to COVID; this time I want to talk about medical debt.

In the United States, most individuals receive healthcare through private health insurance companies. These private insurance companies require a large number of fees and payments to be made before care is even provided.

Add onto this opaque pricing, unscrupulous business practices, and a large portion of the population with no health insurance at all and you end up with a population that has a staggering $195 billion in medical debt.

This debt does not disappear upon death. Instead, insurance companies garnish the payment for debts from the passed individual’s personal estate. If the estate is not large enough to cover the bills, then living relatives may be forced to pick up the tab.

Oh, for God’s sake! Have we no decency left? Let the passed keep their estates and let the poor families mourn in peace! They should be coming together and reliving good memories with their loved ones, not calling their accountant and making financial transactions!

If a person with medical debt dies, wipe their debts clean. Maybe we can’t cancel all medical debt, but let us at least spare the dead.