Is Iowa Ready To Send A Progressive To Congress Again? Meet Travis Terrell

Travis Terrell is a working class Iowan who grew up in Ottumwa. A full-on progressive, he’s taking on Trump-supporting Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the very swingy first district of Iowa. In his announcement video, he said “I’m running for Congress because ‘they’ built a system that works for them. I’m here to build one that works for us.” One way he’s showing that to IA-01 voters is by writing ready-to-go bills he hopes to introduce in 2027.

The 3 that he’s shared with me are all excellent pieces of legislation. I asked him if I could care his Right to Live Act, a the bill he put together to cap hospital prices, erase medical debt, and make billionaires pay for the system they’ve broken. Since he works in the health care industry, I thought this one would be particularly important for voters to look at. Keep in mind that Terrell fully supports Medicare-for-All and plans to work towards passing it. This bill is an intermediary step that he hopes will bring people closer, “a clear message that no one should be bankrupted just for staying alive.”

This will give you an idea about what kind of Member you’ll get if you support him in the midterm, although he looks forward to work with his colleagues to make it even stronger.

SECTION 1. TITLE.

This Act shall be cited as the Right to Live Act.

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SECTION 2. PURPOSE.

To put an end to medical price gouging, wipe out medical debt, and guarantee that access to care is a right— not a privilege for the rich.

This bill caps hospital charges, cancels predatory debt, and makes the ultra-wealthy pay their damn share.

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SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.

(a) Essential Medical Care— includes emergency services, hospitalizations, surgeries, cancer treatment, childbirth, chronic disease care, mental health treatment, and other interventions deemed life-saving or disability-preventing.

(b) Wealth— includes all assets: stocks, real estate, ownership stakes, offshore accounts, crypto, luxury items, and other forms of capital.

(c) Medicare Benchmark Rate— the amount Medicare pays for a given procedure or service.

(d) Right to Live Fund— a protected federal trust fund used only for healthcare relief and access.

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SECTION 4. PRICE CAPS FOR MEDICAL SERVICES.

(a) No More Price Gouging

No hospital, private clinic, or provider may charge more than 120% of the Medicare rate for any essential medical procedure, hospitalization, or service.

(b) Emergency Care is Free. Period.

All emergency room visits, ambulance rides, ICU stays, and trauma care must be provided free at the point of service, no matter what.

(c) Out-of-Pocket Cap for Everyone

No patient— insured or not— will pay more than:

$2,000 per year, per person

$4,000 per year, per household

If you're making less than 250% of the federal poverty level, you pay nothing out of pocket. Zero.

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SECTION 5. MEDICAL DEBT CANCELLED.

(a) Buy It and Burn It

The federal government will purchase all existing medical debt from private collectors and erase it.

(b) No More Selling Patient Debt

Hospitals, clinics, and providers are barred from selling unpaid patient balances to collections.

(c) Low-Income Hospital Forgiveness Program

Hospitals receiving federal funds must clear all past-due debt held by patients under 300% of the poverty line within 18 months.

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SECTION 6. HOLDING THE PROFITEERS ACCOUNTABLE.

(a) Corporate Hospitals on Watch

If a hospital runs a 15%+ profit margin for 3 years straight, it must:

Reinvest in local care, or

Face a public buyout review by HHS.

(b) Break the Loopholes

Any attempt to hide profits through shell companies, billing fraud, or “facility fees” results in:

A fine equal to 10x the amount overcharged, and

Suspension from Medicare for up to 2 years.

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SECTION 7. TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Real Prices, Upfront

All hospitals must post a full cost breakdown for their top 100 procedures— including base rate, fees, and expected total— on their website and at points of care.

(b) Break the Silence, or Pay Up

Any provider that fails to comply gets hit with a $25,000 per day fine until they fix it. No more hiding behind billing departments.

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SECTION 8. WHO PAYS FOR IT? THE PEOPLE WHO BROKE THE SYSTEM.

(a) 10% Wealth Tax on the Ultra-Rich

Every individual or household with $100 million or more in assets shall pay a flat 10% annual tax on their total wealth.

No exceptions. No loopholes. If you’re hoarding nine figures, you can help pay for the system working people keep getting screwed by.

(b) What Counts as Wealth?

Everything: stocks, real estate, business ownership, offshore holdings, crypto, art, yachts— you name it, it’s taxed.

(c) How It’s Collected

A new branch of the IRS, the Office of Economic Justice, will audit and enforce. Noncompliance results in:

Asset seizures

Public exposure via a federal “Healthcare Evaders” list

Criminal penalties for fraud

(d) Where the Money Goes

All revenue goes into the Right to Live Fund, used only for:

Cancelling medical debt

Supporting rural and public hospitals

Paying for emergency care

Enforcing healthcare protections

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SECTION 9. ENFORCEMENT & OVERSIGHT.

(a) Healthcare Justice Oversight Commission

Comprised of:

Frontline healthcare workers

Low-income patients

Economic justice experts

Government watchdogs

(b) Annual Reports to the Public

Every year, HHS will publish a report naming:

Hospitals violating price caps

Corporations abusing billing practices

Progress made toward debt relief and access

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SECTION 10. EFFECTIVE DATE.

This Act takes effect 180 days after passage