California AG Rob Bonta, Senator Limón Unveil Legislation to Protect Consumers Against Medical Debt
Senate Bill 1061 seeks to protect consumers from having their credit ruined by prohibiting medical debt from being reported on credit reports.
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Healthcare and Consumer Groups Comments on Facility Fee Junk Fees
This is a comment responding to the FTC’s proposed junk fee rule from organizations focusing on health and consumer protection issues, including medical debt, disability rights, health equity, and economic justice. The comment focuses on the application of the proposed rule to “facility fees,” which are charges that ostensibly cover the operational expenses of hospitals.…
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Testimony in Support of HB 673 (Maryland)
By prohibiting health care providers from seeking liens against patients' homes, House Bill 673 would go a long way toward providing relief from one of the most harmful medical debt collection practices and recognizing how vital housing stability and homeownership is to economic security and physical health.
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American Banker Letter to the Editor: Banning medical debt from credit reports will benefit everyone
Appearing in American Banker on Jan. 23, 2024, a letter to the editor by NCLC Senior Attorney Chi Chi Wu takes on claims the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is overstepping its authority by banning medical debt from credit reports. “Banning medical debts from credit reports will allow consumers to access credit more affordably, qualify…
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Credit, Debt, and Foreclosure - Consumer Law Basics
This free, four-part consumer debt program provided the knowledge attorneys need to assist low-to-moderate-income clients.
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Consumer Law Basics: Medical Debt & Coerced Debt
The first hour of this webinar will cover strategies for helping clients address overwhelming medical debt collections. The second hour will focus on how to identify and begin to help clients facing coerced debt.
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Digital Library: Widespread FDCPA Violations in Collection of Medical Debt
A November 2023 CFPB report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) highlights the untapped potential of FDCPA claims where debt collectors collect on medical debt not owed or owed in a lesser amount. The report describes how tens of millions of Americans face medical debt collection—somewhere between 17% and 35% of all adults have…
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Letter from 60 Groups: Do Not Delay FCRA Rulemaking
NCLC submitted a letter, along with 60 consumer, civil rights, health care, and advocacy organizations, urging CFPB Director Chopra not to delay the CFPB’s planned FCRA rulemaking. This letter responds to a November 17, 2023 letter sent by 15 industry trade organizations urging Director Chopra to slow down the FCRA rulemaking by issuing an Advanced…
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Comments to CFPB's Outline of Proposals for FCRA Rulemaking
The CFPB has issued an outline of proposals for a rulemaking under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regarding data brokers, credit reporting disputes, and medical debt on credit reports. In general, we support the CFPB’s proposals. The CFPB’s proposals will protect consumers from the significant harms of data broker practices, such as selling sensitive…
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No Surprises Act: What You Should Know About Surprise Billing Protections
This webinar will provide a general overview of patients’ rights against surprise medical bills under the NSA, focusing on privately insured and uninsured patients.
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The Dose: How Medical Debt Makes People Sicker — and What We Can Do About It
Nearly one in five Americans has medical debt. Black households are disproportionately affected, carrying higher amounts of debt at higher rates. Join host Joel Bervell on the newest episode of The Dose podcast, where he talks to Berneta Haynes, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, about the history of medical debt and efforts to ease…
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The New York Times: Consumer Agency Moves to Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports
Appearing in The New York Times on September 29, 2023, Ann Carrns talks to Chi Chi Wu about how people struggling with unpaid medical bills may soon have that debt erased from their credit reports. If you lack health insurance, check to see if you qualify for coverage under Medicaid, the federal-state health program for…
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