(Washington Post) Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders plans to release a new proposal to cancel $81 billion worth of medical debt Americans are struggling to pay off, adding to a suite of ideas that would represent the largest expansion of the nation’s social safety net in decades and likely cost tens of trillions of dollars.
The senator from Vermont is seeking the Democratic nomination on promises of enacting Medicare-for-all, wiping away student loan debt and aggressively combating climate change, initiatives that together would cost an estimated $48 trillion or more over a decade, a tally of campaign estimates shows.
Sanders has proposed paying for the programs with new taxes on wealthy businesses and individuals, as well as on middle class Americans.
