Berneta Haynes

Staff Attorney

Berneta L. Haynes is a staff attorney who focuses on consumer energy policy and medical debt. Before joining NCLC, she served as a director at Georgia Watch, a state-based consumer advocacy organization in Atlanta, where she worked to make energy programs, quality healthcare, financial protection, and civil justice more equitable and accessible for all. Her duties included leading coalitions, facilitating forums, steering the passage of crucial medical billing legislation, and authoring consumer-facing educational materials (such as the Georgia Consumer Guide for Medical Bills and Debt) and policy guides on energy equity (including Keeping the Lights On), financial protection, and healthcare billing. Previously, she practiced law at Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Southern Environmental Law Center in Atlanta. At Southern Environmental Law Center, she co-authored policy materials, including Solar for All. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, and Psychology from Drury University, her Master’s degree in English from University of Iowa, and her law degree from University of Iowa College of Law.

Featured Work

Code WACK! Podcast: A perfect storm: Berneta Haynes discusses racism, chronic illness & medical debt

The July 25, 2022 episode of the Code WACK! podcast features Berneta Haynes in a discussion about why Black families are disproportionately impacted by medical debt in America, how dinequities in housing access and safety, environmental pollution, and health care combine and intensify the vulnerability of disenfranchised communities, and families in Southern states been particularly…
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Code WACK! Podcast: Punished for being poor? Berneta Haynes discusses battling medical debt in America

The Aug. 1, 2022 episode of the Code WACK! podcast features Berneta Haynes in a discussion about the role of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion in reducing medical debt and keeping rural hospitals open, and what specific health policies legislators should pursue that would solve the medical debt crisis once and for all.
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New Department of Energy’s Standards for Refrigerators and Clothes Washers Will Help Low-income Families With Their Energy Bills

The U.S. Department of Energy proposed new, more energy-efficient standards for refrigerators, freezers, and clothes washers – with strong support from NCLC.
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