State Rep. Angela Rigas today led the House in successfully passing her bipartisan plan to reform how health care providers can charge for and collect medical debt in the state of Michigan. 

“Medical debt should never force families into financial crisis,” said Rigas (R-Caledonia). “Too many Michiganders are falling into medical debt because of rising health care costs, excessively complex billing systems, and economic hardship. States across the country have adopted safeguards against aggressive collection practices, but Michigan currently has none. Today, we took action to change that.” 

House Bills 5254 and 5255, introduced by Reps. Rigas and Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), expand protections for Michigan patients with medical debt by creating the Medical Debt Protection Act. The bills limit interest and fees on medical debt, restrict aggressive collection practices, require advance notice before extraordinary collection actions, and establish protections when medical debt is sold to third parties. Large healthcare facilities would be subject to additional restrictions, including limits on interest charges and collection activities. Violations would be enforceable under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. 

Rigas continued to highlight the overwhelming bipartisan support for the effort. 

“Helping Michigan families in times of severe medical hardship and financial uncertainty should not be controversial,” Rigas said. “I was glad to see Republicans and Democrats work together to protect patients who have been hurt by a system that is taking advantage of them. That ends now.”