(WASHINGTON POST)  Danielle Douglas-Gabriel — There are more than a million people at least nine months behind on their student loan payments. They face the threat of the government withholding money from their paychecks, social security or tax refund. They may have a hard time getting a mortgage, buying a car or even a job. But the colleges that encouraged them to borrow rarely suffer any consequences.

That might soon change.

A coalition of liberal and conservative lawmakers is promoting a plan on Capitol Hill that would force colleges to pay up when their students default. If schools share the risk of borrowing or have some “skin in the game,” policymakers figure they would work harder to keep costs down. But the approach could backfire if schools decide to weed out prospective students based on their ability to pay.

Source: The controversial idea that could lower student debt – The Washington Post