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Patient Debt Relief Act: New Protections Against Medical Debt

This act establishes national standards to protect patients from aggressive medical debt collection and creates a grant program to cancel existing debt. It prevents hospitals from seizing homes or wages and requires them to offer financial assistance to eligible patients.
Key points
Bans home foreclosures and wage garnishment for the collection of medical bills.
Requires hospitals to screen patients for financial assistance eligibility before seeking payment.
Creates a $100 million grant program for nonprofits to buy and discharge medical debt for eligible individuals.
Prohibits interest charges and the sale of debt to collectors for low-income patients.
Establishes an online portal for citizens to report hospitals that violate these new debt collection rules.
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Status: Introduced
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Additional Information
Print number: 119_HR_7478
Sponsor: Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2]
Process start date: 2026-02-10
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure — full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source—always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-flash-latest
Source data: api.congress.gov
AI work logs for this document launch

OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

Patient Debt Relief Act

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 119_HR_7478.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2026-02-10.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Bans home foreclosures and wage garnishment for the collection of medical bills.
  • Requires hospitals to screen patients for financial assistance eligibility before seeking payment.
  • Creates a $100 million grant program for nonprofits to buy and discharge medical debt for eligible individuals.
  • Prohibits interest charges and the sale of debt to collectors for low-income patients.
  • Establishes an online portal for citizens to report hospitals that violate these new debt collection rules.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Introduced.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Introduced in House

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2026-02-23.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know—that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Health Benefits Courts and Law