Legislators Propose Medical Debt Bill

February 15, 2024

Lawmakers are proposing legislation that will protect patients and their families from being denied medical care in hospitals and clinics because of their medical debt.  

In a press conference on February 9, Gov. Tim Walz voiced his support of the forthcoming bill, being authored by Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) and Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL-Eagan). The bill, among other things, would:  

• ban the denial of non-emergency care to patients with substantial unpaid debts;  

• prevent providers from collecting on patients' tax refunds, or charging them interest for medical debts, or reporting those debts to credit rating agencies; 

• stop charging for coding errors; 

• And would appeal transferring debt to a spouse. 

The MMA will review the specific bill language when it is released to determine other items that may be included. 

The MMA released the following statement on the proposed legislation:  

“The Minnesota Medical Association recognizes that medical debt is a serious issue that affects many Minnesotans. Too often, insurance coverage is insufficient and involves often impenetrable rules and processes that pose a barrier to coverage. The MMA looks forward to working with Sen. Boldon and Rep. Reyer to identify ways to ease the impact of medical debt on patients while ensuring that physicians and other providers are appropriately reimbursed for the services they provide.”