Healthcare

The number of people carrying unpaid medical debts has declined markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research that has been released, but the report did raise concerns that those numbers could boomerang and start climbing again now that the people are returning to pre-pandemic life. Just under 17% …

The New York Senate yesterday voted to approve a bill that would protect individuals from having liens placed on their primary residences and having their wages garnished to repay medical debts. The New York Assembly had already passed its version of the bill, and consumer advocates yesterday called on Gov. …

A company that bills itself as a Buy Now, Pay Later service for the healthcare industry has announced that it has raised $110 million in Series A financing to help it add more staff and expand into new territories across the United States. Walnut bills itself as making healthcare more …

A bill in Colorado that would ban hospitals from placing unpaid debts with collection agencies if the hospitals do not comply with federal price transparency rules is rapidly moving closer to becoming a law, after the state Senate yesterday approved the bill unanimously. The bill, House Bill 1285, now moves …

One of the largest health insurance companies in the nation is under increasing scrutiny from hospitals over allegations that it is not fully paying out claims and inappropriately denying others. Hospitals across the country are no longer contracting with Anthem over the issues, according to published reports. When claims are …

Using consumer complaints to draw conclusions about potential issues with how medical debts are billed and collected is a lot like taking a picture with your finger covering up part of the lens — you’re definitely not getting the whole picture. You’ll get part of it, for sure, but there …

The governor of Virginia has vetoed two bills related to medical debt collection, although there may be enough voted in the state legislature to override both vetoes, according to published reports. One bill, introduced by state Rep. Nadarius Clark, would have lowered the statute of limitations on medical debts to …

The White House yesterday outlined an aggressive plan to crack down on “malicious” and “predatory” billing practices related to medical debts, including holding debt collectors “accountable for harmful practices,” while also pledging to have the medical debts forgiven for more than half a million low-income veterans. The announcement is the …

While expressing cautious optimism for “certain aspects” of the recent announcements from the three major credit reporting agencies regarding how they will handle medical debts, Rohit Chopra, the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau raised a number of issues and continued to ramp up the rhetoric with respect to …

There was at least one voice of reason that sat before the Senate Banking Committee yesterday during a hearing that was held on the “Economic Impact of the Growing Burden of Medical Debt,” even as Democrats on the committee called on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do more to …