The high cost of health care is a primary driver of medical debt in the United States. In 2023, 41 percent of American adults reported debt due to medical or dental bills and 30 percent reported they would be unable to pay an unexpected $500 medical bill without going into debt. In response, states are pursuing and implementing policy to proactively protect consumers from the financial burden of medical debt and ensure access to affordable health care.
Join the Center for American Progress on July 18, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm EDT to learn more about state policy efforts to avert and alleviate medical debt, including reforming debt collection practices and standardizing hospital financial assistance programs.
- Minnesota State Sen. Liz Boldon (D) will discuss the recently enacted Debt Fairness Act (S.F. 4097), which reforms medical debt and judgment collection and establishes new medical debt collection rights.
- Oregon State Rep. Lisa Reynolds (D) will discuss H.B. 3320, enacted in 2023, which requires nonprofit hospitals to screen patients for financial assistance.
- Berneta Haynes, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, will provide an overview of the center’s model Medical Debt Protection Act and its influence on state legislative efforts.