The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Director Rohit Chopra is making a sweeping change to address medical debt that now touches some 100 million Americans, and the new rules are expected to be unveiled later this year.
Under pressure from patient advocates and government regulators, credit agencies have taken steps to remove some medical debts from credit reports, but this could be costing physicians nationwide potentially billions of dollars.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is developing rules to bar unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores, however, industry leaders are questioning why medical providers are being singled out in their billing.
For the health system to endure, physician groups and hospital systems might look more closely at the bills they send patients and the collection tactics they use or health insurers might reconsider the HDHPs they sell.
Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, takes aim at the U.S. and calls for stronger government action to protect Americans from aggressive debt collection by nonprofit hospitals, in a new report.
6 in 10 working-age adults with coverage have gone into debt getting care in the past five years, a rate only slightly lower than the uninsured.
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"articles": [
{
"uri": "/2024/03/05/with-medical-debt-burdening-millions-a-financial-regulator-steps-in-to-help/",
"title": "Consumer agency's new focus on barring medical debt on credit reports",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
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"prettyDate": "March 05, 2024",
"timeToRead": "6 minute",
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"summary": "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Director Rohit Chopra is making a sweeping change to address medical debt that now touches some 100 million Americans, and the new rules are expected to be unveiled later this year.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2024/01/29/in-this-oklahoma-town-most-everyone-knows-someone-whos-been-sued-by-the-hospital/",
"title": "In this town, almost everyone knows someone sued by the hospital",
"byline": "Mitchell Black and Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "News",
"prettyDate": "January 29, 2024",
"timeToRead": "8 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "Hackler, a lawyer who sues patients on behalf of the hospital, buzzed through 51 cases, all but a handful uncontested, as is often the case.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/11/08/medical-debt-is-disappearing-from-americans-credit-reports-lifting-scores/",
"title": "Medical debt is dropping from credit reports (but patients still being sued for unpaid bills)",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "Update",
"prettyDate": "November 08, 2023",
"timeToRead": "4 minute",
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"summary": "Under pressure from patient advocates and government regulators, credit agencies have taken steps to remove some medical debts from credit reports, but this could be costing physicians nationwide potentially billions of dollars.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/09/22/biden-administration-to-ban-medical-debt-from-americans-credit-scores/",
"title": "Biden to ban medical bills from credit reports: Could this lead to upfront payment?",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "News",
"prettyDate": "September 22, 2023",
"timeToRead": "5 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is developing rules to bar unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores, however, industry leaders are questioning why medical providers are being singled out in their billing.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/07/25/medical-debt-is-making-americans-angry-doctors-and-hospitals-ignore-this-at-their-peril/",
"title": "Are doctors and hospitals ignoring patients' medical debt?",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "Update",
"prettyDate": "July 25, 2023",
"timeToRead": "5 minute",
"image": {
"uri": "https://images.benefitspro.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/412/2019/09/MedicalBillsOverdueShutterstock.jpg",
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"summary": "For the health system to endure, physician groups and hospital systems might look more closely at the bills they send patients and the collection tactics they use or health insurers might reconsider the HDHPs they sell.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/06/20/international-rights-group-calls-out-us-for-allowing-hospitals-to-push-millions-into-debt/",
"title": "International human rights group calls out US hospitals for pushing millions into debt",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "Research",
"prettyDate": "June 20, 2023",
"timeToRead": "5 minute",
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"summary": "Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, takes aim at the U.S. and calls for stronger government action to protect Americans from aggressive debt collection by nonprofit hospitals, in a new report.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/05/05/biden-administration-cautions-americans-about-medical-credit-cards/",
"title": "Biden administration cautions Americans about medical credit cards",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "News",
"prettyDate": "May 05, 2023",
"timeToRead": "4 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "The Biden administration on Thursday cautioned Americans about the growing risks of medical credit cards and other loans for medical bills",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2023/03/09/biden-administration-is-urged-to-relieve-medical-debt-with-more-aggressive-appraoch/",
"title": "Biden Administration is urged to relieve medical debt with more aggressive approach",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "News",
"prettyDate": "March 09, 2023",
"timeToRead": "6 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "Many consumer and patient advocates say the actions still leave millions of Americans vulnerable to financial ruin if they become ill or injured.",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2022/12/23/khn-investigation-hospitals-sue-patients-or-threaten-their-credit/",
"title": "KHN investigation: Hospitals sue patients or threaten their credit",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "Investigation",
"prettyDate": "December 23, 2022",
"timeToRead": "12 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "19 of the 528 hospitals researched by KHN have publicly posted policies barring \"extraordinary collection actions.\"",
"body": null
},
{
"uri": "/2022/06/16/100-million-people-in-u-s-saddled-with-health-care-debt/",
"title": "100 million people in U.S. saddled with health care debt",
"byline": "Noam N. Levey",
"kicker": "Analysis",
"prettyDate": "June 16, 2022",
"timeToRead": "17 minute",
"image": {
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"summary": "6 in 10 working-age adults with coverage have gone into debt getting care in the past five years, a rate only slightly lower than the uninsured.",
"body": null
}
]
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}
