The Medical Debt Relief Act of 2009: Just What the Doctor Ordered

This is the first I'm hearing of this legislation. I haven't read it, but here are some of my concerns I hope the bill addresses.

Are delinquent medical bills suggestive of a persons ability and/or willingness to pay other debt?

If they get sick again, will they be able to generate enough income to repay their creditors as agreed?

Did these medical bills result from poor financial planning, i.e., inadequate health insurance or savings? There are a large number of people who qualify for affordable health insurance. They just refuse to treat it as a priority. My heart goes out to all those who really don't have any affordable options.

What other bad debts resulting from unforeseen circumstances (divorce, job loss, death of a spouse) should be treated more favorably in our credit reports?

Good questions, Shawanda. You can read the bill's full text, and see its progress through Congress here. You can even send a note to your representative showing your support or concern for this bill, or post comments suggesting changes or additions. If the bill passes, it could open the doors to similar legislation for other common debt-accruing circumstances like divorce and death.

What people don't think about is how the medical industry provides a service for you just like the man who fixes your transmission. Do you get your car back without paying him? No....So should the doctor and staff that help save someone not recieve payment for it. The medical industry has over 100 Billion dollars that goes unpaid every year in medical debt. And like any credit card or other debt you have you can always set up a payment plan to get it taken care of. As far as the credit reporting goes most all agencies reporting medical debt give a significant amount of time before reporting to your credit and medical debt is still debt still bills that someone has left unpaid and should most definitely be reporting to someone's credit. If you don't want it on your credit follow up and make the appropriate arrangements with the doctor or hospital before it is ever sent to a collection agency. There are ways to prevent medical bills from landing on your credit report and with a collection agency you just have to be responsible enough to take action in the situation.

This is a necessary bill for many reasons, but as usual with ANY type of consumer protection legislation, people who have never experienced the problem first hand come out of the woodwork to whine until our ears grate from whining about other people being "irresponsible", while simultaneously ignoring willfully irresponsible practices by medical billing specialists and collection agencies. It's ok if a business is negligent and irresponsible, or a doctor's office is negligent and irresponsible, but if a person PAYS their medical bills when they can, hit him as hard as you can in the head with a stick, or he might be getting away with something.

I agree that medical bills aren't just the patient's responsibility. By that, I mean that doctors and insurers should be more upfront and accurate about the medical costs of any procedure. Whenever I try to understand the cost of any bloodwork, surgery, or other procedure I may need, I get the runaround from both the provider and my insurance company. And when they do provide an upfront estimate, it's often a far cry from the final cost. So frustrating!