The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Nov. 16 released its annual report regarding its activities taken in 2023 to administer the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, spotlighting, among other topics, the collection of medical debt.
Posts tagged as “medical debt”
Continuing on its mission to curb abusive collection efforts related to medical debt which began to take life in 2022, the CFPB on Sept. 21 announced its initiation of a rulemaking process to remove medical bills from credit reports entirely.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that a consumer plaintiff had Article III standing to sue because his federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim was similar to a common law "intrusion upon seclusion" claim, even though it involved only a single unwanted call.
Last year saw an influx of federal and state regulation aimed at what information must be conveyed to consumers in anticipation of the provision of medical services as well as restrictions on the collection of medical debt. Expect more activity in 2023.
Just a few years ago, the annual review would primarily encompass federal activity. But a shift began in 2018, and by the close of this year, it’s clear there is far more state activity impacting consumer debt collection.
Legislation introduced in the New Jersey Assembly and Senate would prohibit “health care providers” from furnishing information concerning medical debt to credit reporting agencies.
Continuing with the heavy trend 2022 has seen of both federal and state regulator focus on medical debt coming on the heels of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate is taking aim at the collection of medical debt.
A group is pushing Arizona Proposition 209, a ballot measure they say will reduce the burden of “medical debt.” But while a small portion of Proposition 209 might relieve some of the burden of medical debt, other beneficiaries are swindlers and bad actors.
Medical debt continues to dominate the headlines in 2022 and continues to be an area of significant focus for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Medical debt continues to capture the attention of state and federal government, with lawmakers and regulators continuing to target how medical debt is collected and how it is reflected on a consumer credit report.
In an update to an article we published earlier this week regarding the three major credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion issuing a joint statement last week regarding how medical debt will be treated and reported on consumer credit reports, those agencies provided further clarification to data furnishers on March 22.
In a year that is still quite young, medical debt continues to find its way into the headlines of the receivables management industry. Continuing the trend, this past Friday, March 18, saw the three major credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion issue a joint statement regarding how medical debt will be treated and reported on consumer credit reports.