States Continue to Enact Protections for Patients with Medical Debt.

This article discusses the recent actions taken by states to protect patients with medical debt. The Biden administration has recommended that states prevent the accumulation of medical debt, limit coercive debt collection practices, and purchase and eliminate medical debt. While most states have not enacted laws to prevent the accrual of medical debt, many have implemented protections for individuals who already have medical debt. Some states have strengthened financial assistance standards, regulated billing and collections practices, and enacted protections related to medical debt lawsuits. Additionally, some states have started buying and forgiving medical debt. However, there is still a need for systemic, upstream solutions to prevent medical debt from accruing in the first place. [Extracted from the article]