For the same reason my taxes and insurance premiums pay for someone else’s healthcare.

Student loan debt at this scale should’ve never existed. It’s a policy failure (but so is a lot of US policy, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Healthcare is insurance for possible future accidents. A may have higher risk of breaking a leg, B may have higher risk of cardiovascular accident. Eventually it evens out. No matter how healthy lifestyle you lead, you've a risk of ending up in hospital. For active lifestyle it may be even higher :)

Meanwhile student loan is past decision. As well as paying it back or not. Some people may have lived on noodles to pay it back asap while others took the easy route. Maybe all payments shall be returned too?

Of course, US high education costs are stupid. There needs to be more incentive to guide people towards degrees that will pay for themselves too.

You’re implying morality on rows in a database (the debt in question).

> Some people may have lived on noodles to pay it back asap while others took the easy route.

Indeed, life isn’t fair, and why policy shouldn’t inflict suffering “because it was hard for me.” (broad strokes) That’s not just silly, it’s toxic when expressed as policy.

At the end of the day, law is morality. Both inspired by (a part of) society's moral code and enforcing (a part of) society's moral code.

Some people might think that life isn't fair, thus law shall not be fair either. But other people think that law shall make the world more fair. In today's world, frequently former group ends up :surprised pikachu: when later group ain't happy.

Personally, it's toxic if a law promotes irresponsible behaviour. Choose whatever crappy degree, never mind paying back the student loan... Society will bail you out! Same „too big to fail“ BS, just targeting a different audience.