Medical Debt Archives

The New York Times: More Options to Pay for Medical Care, but Some May Be Costly

May 12, 2023

Originally appearing in the New York Times on May 12, 2023, Ann Carrns looks at patients increasingly being offered special financing to cover medical treatments. Consumer advocates, including NCLC’s April Kuehnhoff, say it can turn out to be more costly than using conventional credit cards. Patients should consider other more affordable financing options, including loans…

USA Today: Can medical bankruptcy help with medical bills?

May 9, 2023

Originally appearing in USA Today on May 9, 2023, Hanna Horvath and Jenn Jones quotes John Rao in coverage of the impact of medical debt on consumers and whether bankruptcy can help. “It’s not just about the actual medical bill. It’s also all the other bills that can’t get paid while you deal with medical…

Health Care Plastic: The Risks of Medical Credit Cards

April 27, 2023

Many consumers charge medical bills to credit cards. Some consumers end up using specialized medical credit cards to pay health care expenses, especially for expenses generally not covered by health insurance such as dental or vision care. This report discusses these medical credit cards in depth, beginning with a brief background section and then presenting…

Code WACK! Podcast: A perfect storm: Berneta Haynes discusses racism, chronic illness & medical debt

July 25, 2022

The July 25, 2022 episode of the Code WACK! podcast features Berneta Haynes in a discussion about why Black families are disproportionately impacted by medical debt in America, how dinequities in housing access and safety, environmental pollution, and health care combine and intensify the vulnerability of disenfranchised communities, and families in Southern states been particularly…

Code WACK! Podcast: Punished for being poor? Berneta Haynes discusses battling medical debt in America

August 1, 2022

The Aug. 1, 2022 episode of the Code WACK! podcast features Berneta Haynes in a discussion about the role of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion in reducing medical debt and keeping rural hospitals open, and what specific health policies legislators should pursue that would solve the medical debt crisis once and for all.

An Arm and a Leg Podcast: Wrestling With a Giant: April Kuehnhoff discusses how to dispute a hospital bill

March 2, 2023

Season 9, Episode 3 of the An Arm and a Leg podcast, airing on Mar. 2, 2023, and co-produced by Kaiser Health News, features April Kuehnhoff with advice on filing a dispute with a debt collector.

MarketWatch: "Why it's so hard for Black Americans to save for retirement -- and how the pandemic escalated the racial wealth gap"

February 2, 2023

An article appearing in MarketWatch on February 2, 2023 by Alessandra Malito points to medical debt is a deterrent to retirement security and quotes Berneta Haynes. The reality of medical debt is multilayered, said Berneta Haynes, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. Those who have defaulted on their loans or unable to pay…

Chi Chi Wu's Testimony in Support of Excluding Medical Debt Information from Consumer Reports (Colorado)

February 22, 2023

The bill HB23-1126 would prohibit the reporting of medical debt information by consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). It would also inform consumers about their rights by requiring debt collectors to notify consumers with medical debt that such debt can no longer be included on credit reports, with narrow exceptions. Medical debt information in consumer reports (also…

Don’t Add Further Insult to Injury: Medical Debt & Credit Reports

January 6, 2023

UPDATE – July 2025 Since this report was published in January 2023, a number of states have passed legislation prohibiting credit reporting of medical debts. The CFPB also issued a Fair Credit Reporting Act regulation to prohibit medical credit reporting nationwide that was subsequently overturned by a court decision. These developments are discussed in…

Medical Debt Crisis: Impact on Native and Indigenous Families

February 9, 2023

This webinar will look at medical debt in Native and Indigenous communities, the social and political influences causing an increased risk of medical debt, and what groups on the ground are doing to address this issue.

Watch Recording Read More about Medical Debt Crisis: Impact on Native and Indigenous Families

Hospital Price Transparency: Understanding and Using the Data

January 25, 2023

This webinar will provide a practical, how-to session on accessing and using the hospital price transparency data for those working with clients and/or interested in pushing policy solutions around medical debt.

Watch Recording Read More about Hospital Price Transparency: Understanding and Using the Data

S.5150 - Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act

December 14, 2022

NCLC is supporting S.5150- Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act, introduced by Sens. Murphy and Van Hollen. The law would help protect consumers from abusive debt collection practices, and would require more reporting from hospitals about their debt collection practices. NCLC provided a quote for the press release.

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