 is leading the charge becoming the first state in the nation to cancel medical debt for thousands of eligible residents. Maybe it's $2,000 or so. Paycheck to paycheck. That's a tough load to have to carry. Get that lifted off of your back and allows you to fly. This is not something they did because they were spending too much money. This is something that got hit with the medical emergency. The state will work with a nonprofit that buys up medical debt and then eliminates it at a reduced cost. So apparently good things can still happen in America, which is kind of shocking to me because I was under the impression that those days are long behind us. It's all bad stuff from here on out. We're just circling the drain and nothing good will ever happen in American politics. But something good happened. Not just good, like really, really good. So good that it actually made me feel something. And I think that feeling is happiness, dare I say joy, which I'm not necessarily sure because I haven't gotten that feeling from American politics in a very long time. But we've got some genuinely good news, folks. Connecticut's Democratic governor Ned Lamont announced that his state is going to become the first in the nation to cancel medical debt. ABC News reports the state plans to erase approximately $1 billion in medical debt this year by leveraging $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, it said. Residents whose household income is up to 400% of the federal poverty line for a family of four, that's 124,800 annually, or whose medical debt equates to 5% or more of their annual income will be eligible under the program, the state said. Some 250,000 residents are anticipated to see their medical debt erased with this initial $6.5 million investment, the state said. More than one in 10 Connecticut residents have medical debt in collections, according to the state. I mean, this is an absolute game changer. It's good policy and it's good politics. And I hope that other governors now feel pressure to do the same thing as well. Now they are financing this as the article stated with funds from the American Rescue Plan. So Republicans can't fear monger about a new tax to pay for this or anything like that. But the downside is that it is means tested. And I think that universal programs are always preferable to means tested programs. But having said that though, the eligibility requirements are fairly wide. And residents don't have to do anything to qualify for debt relief as they usually do with means tested programs because this is automatic. They just get it. It's expected to take effect in June. So if you live in Connecticut and you have medical debt, you should see that erased in June just like that. Incredible. Now this goes without saying, but we still need a single pair healthcare system. We need Medicare for all. So medical debt is no longer a thing in the United States. Medicare for all wouldn't just do away with medical debt, it would say $450 million annually and most importantly, save 68,000 lives per year according to a study conducted before the pandemic by researchers at Yale and other universities. But in the absence of a single pair healthcare system, I think that governors zeroing out medical debt that people acquire through no fault of their own is a massive, massive step in the right direction. And to be fair, it's not the first time that this has been done. Because on a smaller scale, New York City Mayor Eric Adams actually did something good, perhaps for the first time ever. And he announced $2 billion in medical debt relief for New Yorkers who qualify earlier this year. And on top of that, last year, Colorado lawmakers passed the law removing medical debt from credit reports. Now on top of that, local governments have also used funds from the American Rescue Plan to buy and cancel debt for people in large cities like New Orleans, Pittsburgh and other areas. But I mean, this is clearly the next logical step where medical debt is just canceled across the board at the state level. This is huge. And it's going to become increasingly necessary as more and more Americans acquire medical debt, because our system isn't changing anytime soon. It's not just going to automatically get better. We actually have to fix it. So ABC News continues a 2022 analysis of government data by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Peterson Health System track are estimated that 9% of adults, approximately 23 million people owed more than $250 in health costs. Those more likely to report significant medical debt included people with a disability, uninsured adults, low income adults and black Americans, the report found. Now additionally, that KFF Peterson study also points out that Americans with cancer have higher levels of debt than people without cancer. And even though 90% of Americans now have health insurance, medical debt is still a persistent problem in this country. So much so that it's the number one cause of bankruptcy, according to the bankruptcy Institute, which isn't necessarily surprising considering the fact that 100 million Americans are saddled with medical debt, according to the Texas Tribune. So once and for all, action is finally being taken to address this and Democrats are doing the humane and popular thing by just giving Americans relief. I mean, think about how disgusting the system is. You can have a medical emergency through no fault of your own. And an ambulance is called for you and then you're taken to a hospital and it turns out that hospital that you were taken to is not in your network, which means you now have to foot the bill. Or let's say best case scenario, you have insurance, you were taken to the correct hospital, but then the procedure that you needed isn't covered by your insurance or the medication that you needed isn't covered by your insurance. Well, now you have to pay for that as well. I mean, it's so gross that rather than focusing on getting better if you have cancer, you now likely have to focus on medical debt and worry about that too. Because perhaps the medication that you need isn't covered by your insurance. It's such a barbaric system. Like the fact that we've allowed this to continue for so long is astonishing to me. The fact that medical debt is a thing in the first place speaks to how awful our for profit healthcare system is. But this right here is how you address this in the short term. And other Democratic governors need to do the same exact thing. And Democrats in Congress need to push this as legislation. I mean, imagine if Joe Biden pressured Republicans to support medical debt relief, instead of a far right border bill, imagine what that would do for him politically. And sure, Republicans aren't going to support it. But make them tell their constituents, make Mike Johnson, a Christian, tell his constituents that he thinks that they should be stuck with medical debt, force these Republicans to explain to the people who vote for them why they think they should be burdened with medical debt in the richest country on the planet, even though they accumulated that debt through no fault of their own. This is how you play politics. And again, it's not just about politics because making a difference in people's lives is really important. But you can do both at the same time. It's good politics and good policy. Now, the reason why I bring up Republicans is because Republicans in Connecticut, of course, are against this. But as I said, there's no new tax and it's also means tested. So how exactly can Republicans possibly formulate any opposition to this without sounding foolish? And this is how we never like this proposal because it's it's paying off bad, uncollectible debt. So the effect of it is really minuscule. And it's taking $6.5 million that could go towards something else. Bless this heart. In other words, they have nothing. Well, you know, medical debt isn't that big of a deal comparatively speaking. So you know, we really could be using that money for something else. That's it. That's the only argument that they have. Now, the question is, what, how would you distribute this money in a different way? Well, he actually alluded to what he would do and had some surprising recommendations. So in a Facebook post, he writes, the governor may enjoy the headlines he's getting on canceling medical debt. But I have little doubt this policy decision will disappoint people who don't qualify for relief and frustrate organizations, local leaders and residents as capital conversation continues about meeting core needs such as special education funding, heating assistance for vulnerable residents or investing in Medicaid rates for all residents. Okay, so pump the brakes. I'm sorry. Is this Republican inadvertently advocating for a universal policy instead of a means tested policy? Not to mention, is he actually making reasonable recommendations that are, dare I say good? I mean, listen, you don't have to pick and choose, which is what he wants you to do. You can do all of those things. But he's trying so hard. He's trying to find some way to be against this. But he's kind of backed himself into a corner. And the only option that he has, because he's got to oppose the Democrat, no matter what, since he's a Republican, the only option he has is to outflank the Democratic governor who did this from the left. Again, this is the minority leader in the house. See, I don't believe that he actually wants to do those good things. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a Republican in the first place. But what's happening here is the governor Ned Lamont did something so fucking overwhelmingly positive and popular that he yanked the Overton window in his state so far to the left that Republicans now have to lark as progressives to oppose him. That right there is what I call effective leadership. Take notes, Joe Biden. Take notes, Democrats in Congress. And most importantly, if you're a Democratic governor, copy him. Don't just take notes. Copy his homework. Do what he did. Because I promise you, you will be rewarded for it politically. And the best part is you're actually going to make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many people in your state. This is the way right here. Major, major kudos to Ned Lamont. I have no choice but to stand. This man is a king for what he did. Love it.