In the near future I plan on reintroducing Senate Bill 870 from last session, known as the “Medical Debt Collection Protection Act.”

According to a report from Kaiser Health News, hundreds of hospitals nationwide employ aggressive tactics to pursue patients with unpaid medical bills. These actions include selling debts to collection agencies, reporting patients to national credit agencies, denying non-emergency care, and bringing legal action to recover unpaid amounts. The issue affects millions, not just the indigent and uninsured: 6 in 10 working-age adults with insurance coverage have incurred medical debt in the past five years, and 10.5% of Pennsylvanians have nearly $1.8 billion in outstanding medical debt. Rural residents are hit especially hard.

Drawing on recent legislation from New Mexico, Colorado, and Maryland, my bill will provide a variety of protections to Pennsylvanians seeking necessary medical care:
 

• Health care providers and medical debt collectors (medical creditors) will be prohibited from placing a lien on a patient’s home or reporting the patient to a credit reporting agency.
• Medical creditors may not pursue a debt unless a patient has been screened for eligibility for Medicaid and provider-based financial assistance.
• Health care providers may not pursue a debt unless they comply with price transparency rules.
• Low-income patients will be eligible for monthly payment plans that are capped at a fraction of household income.
• Medical creditors must make a good faith effort to settle before pursuing a debt.
• All medical bills must inform patients of their rights and be accessible to patients with disabilities, including the visually impaired.

 
Our Commonwealth is home to the best health care in the nation. Please join me in ensuring our health care institutions continue to be accessible to all Pennsylvanians.