New Bill Would Provide Credit Report Relief to Medical Debtors [View all]

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday would give patients behind on medical bills up to 120 days to work with debt collectors before the debt shows up on the consumer’s credit report.

Called the Accuracy in Reporting Medical Debt Act (H.R. 2211), the bipartisan bill was written and submitted by Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) and is co-sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.).

The bill specifically targets medical debt collectors as it amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the main federal law governing collection agency activity.