Opinion: An opportunity for President Trump to do better

In 2019, I got the news no one wants to hear: I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Like one in eight women in America, I faced a tough diagnosis that turned my life upside down. At the time, I had two young kids and all I could think about was how I’d fight to be here for them.

After years of treatment and countless visits to the doctor, I’m cancer-free. But the cost of that fight—the $250,000 in medical debt I still carry — has stayed with me.

Medical debt isn’t just a financial burden, it can ruin your credit, as it has mine. Americans owe more than $220 billion in medical debt, and for many of us, it’s stifling our ability to move forward in life. My credit score has taken a hit because of the medical bills I’m still unable to pay off.

Despite being cancer-free, I’m living on a disability income of $1,600 per month. Every three months, I still go to doctor’s appointments. I need treatments and shots. I also have new health problems, like osteoporosis and dental issues, because of cancer. It doesn’t help that prices are going up everywhere. Medical costs keep rising, and other essential things like food cost a lot more now. I try to buy groceries as carefully as I can, but I don’t often buy meat anymore. When I do, it’s usually cheap pork or hamburger, which aren’t exactly healthy options.

I remember a time when we could afford a steak once in a while, or take a small trip. Now, those things are out of reach. The only trips we take are to visit family in Arkansas. We drive, pack our own sandwiches, and skip restaurants and hotels to save money. My kids wanted to go to the beach for spring break, but I couldn’t afford the gas to make the trip. They ask for things they can’t have, and I just tell them the truth: we can’t afford it.

On top of everything else, I’m trying to make ends meet while juggling medical debt, car insurance, phone bills, property taxes, groceries, health insurance and more. It feels impossible and I had to file for bankruptcy.

Even with that, I still have dreams. I want to buy a home with enough space for my family. I want to buy a car for my daughter’s upcoming 16th birthday. I want to start a small business and finally be financially stable. But I can’t make any of those things happen with medical debt and its impact on my credit score.

I voted for Donald Trump because he promised to help people like me. But his Executive Order pausing rule changes from the Biden administration—including the rule to remove medical debt from credit scores—hurts people like me. Because of my medical debt, I can’t get a loan.

Removing medical debt from credit scores would ease the financial pressure on families like mine. Fighting an illness is tough enough. The last thing anyone needs is to have that debt wreck your credit and make it harder to move forward. I don’t think my family deserves this, and I hope President Trump does something about it.