Arizona voters will decide on a ballot measure designed to reduce interest rates on medical debt and prevent bankruptcies, The Arizona Republic reported Oct. 10.
The measure, Proposition 209, would lower the interest rate on medical debt and increase the amount of home equity, personal property, assets and income protected from certain creditors, the newspaper reported.
Proponents of the measure say it would give people the ability to pay off medical debts without losing things like their cars or homes.
Advocates say if the measure is successful in Arizona, it could serve as a model for other states to implement similar laws, the Arizona Republic reported.
Opponents of the measure say portions of the proposed law go beyond medical debt. Critics say the proposition will weaken creditors' ability to collect debts, making them less likely to give out loans in the first place.
Election day is Nov. 8.