Substitute Senate Bill No. 395, known as Public Act No. 24-6, is a legislative act concerning the reporting of medical debt. The bill defines terms such as "collection entity," "credit rating agency," "credit report," "health care goods," "health care provider," "health care services," and "medical debt." It specifies that medical debt does not include debt charged to a credit card unless the card is specifically for health care goods or services. Starting July 1, 2024, health care providers and collection entities in Connecticut are prohibited from reporting any portion of medical debt to credit rating agencies for use in credit reports. Health care providers must include a clause in contracts with collection entities that bars the reporting of such medical debt to credit rating agencies. Any medical debt that is reported to a credit rating agency will be considered void.

Additionally, the bill amends Section 19a-673b of the general statutes by deleting and substituting certain provisions. It removes the one-year grace period, starting from the date a patient first receives a bill, during which hospitals and affiliated entities, as well as collection agents, cannot report an individual patient to a credit rating agency. The bill also specifies that, effective October 1, 2022, these entities cannot initiate foreclosure actions on a patient's primary residence, apply for wage execution, or seek wage garnishment to collect payment for health care services if the patient is eligible for the hospital bed fund. The act was approved on May 9, 2024.